The Game of Life
by scarlett2112
Summary: Separated and barely on speaking terms, Damon begrudgingly agrees to go with Elena to her parent's home for Christmas. Will the trip be the final nail in the coffin or will a friendly witch find a way to work her magic? Sequel to *The Dating Game*
1. Chapter 1

_**I had many requests for a sequel to 'The Dating Game'. This is it. I hope you'll like it.**_

 _ **The Game of Life: chapter one: 'What Becomes of the Broken Hearted' by Jimmy Ruffin**_

* * *

"Damn it, Damon, where are you?" Elena mumbles out loud while pacing the length of their living room. She is frustrated beyond belief. Not only did her husband already postpone their departure date once due to work, now he's not here when he's supposed to be here to pick her up. Fed up and between a rock and a hard place, Elena sits down on the couch. Dropping her face into her hands, she tries to remember exactly when and why everything went wrong. Even though Elena knows without doubt that she loves Damon, she doesn't know if it's enough, not anymore. Between her burgeoning career and Damon's business endeavors, the two of them barely find any free time to spend together. After one particularly nasty argument, Damon stormed out and didn't come home that night, instead choosing to spend that night and every night since at the bar.

With her level of anger rising by the millisecond, Elena seethes in silence for several more moments before getting up to call him. Picking up her cellphone, she clicks on the Great White Shark icon that she uses for Damon. Stressed when it goes to voice mail for the umpteenth time today, Elena tosses the phone back into her purse. Vowing to drive to North Carolina by herself is he doesn't arrive soon, Elena walks into the kitchen, takes a seat again, dropping her face against the tabletop just as tears begin to fill her eyes.

* * *

After a final look through the books, Damon puts the ledger in the top drawer of his desk. His office has been his home for the last three months since he and Elena separated. Damon quickly folds up the sofa sleeper so he doesn't have a messy bed to come home to when he and Elena return from North Carolina. Even though it's the last thing he wants to do, Damon promised her that he'd make the trip with her so her parents wouldn't harass her about the state of their marriage. Since the Vegas strip is decked out in all manner of Christmas decorations, Damon's bar is holiday clad as well. Brady, his girlfriend Anastasia and Kol all helped to get the bar ready for the holidays. The fountains at the Bellagio are dancing to the strains of Christmas songs. The Volcano at the Mirage still burns hot, erupting hourly which the tourists enjoy because it does get chilly in Las Vegas this time of year. After locking the desk drawer, Damon grabs his jacket then steps out of his office, pulling the door closed behind him. Looking around at the crowd, Damon finally spots Kol. When he reaches him, Kol hands him a bottle of water.

"Thanks," Damon says, taking a swallow. After wiping his mouth with the back of his forearm, Damon screws the lid back on the bottle and then turns to his friend. "Kol, you know to call me if anything comes up right?"

"Damon, you're going away with Elena. Given the state of your marriage, I think you need to focus on her rather than this place."

"Damn it, Kol. Do you think I like living here instead of with my wife?"

"She's my best friend but I care about you too, Damon. I hate seeing you both so miserable and yet when you're together, you're even more miserable. Somehow you guys need to fix this. But as much as I care for you, Damon, if the marriage does go the way of the dodo, I will always choose Elena. I hope you can understand."

"Kol, I would never fault you for that. You two have been friends for a very long time. Just know that no matter what happens between Elena and me, your job is safe," Damon adds, dropping his eyes to where his hands are gripping the edge of the bar top, his knuckles and fingertips whitened by the force of the grip. When Damon happens to glance at his watch, he realizes he's way late picking her up. Elena is probably going through the roof about now, he muses, digging into his jeans pocket for his car keys.

"I need to get going. Please call me if any comes up."

"Brady and I will handle it Damon. You used to trust us all the time before the marriage problems started."

"You're right. I really need to get going. If she calls tell her that I'm on my way," Damon states, turning on his heels and hurrying out of the bar.

* * *

And of course with Damon late already, traffic has to be chaotic too. Since it's not moving, Damon grabs his phone to text his wife that he's on his way and that he'll be there to pick her up as soon as traffic will allow. After forty five minutes, Damon can start his car again. By the time he finally pulls into the driveway, it's nearly one in the afternoon. Shaking his head, Damon parks the car, grimacing at the onslaught he's about to face. Taking a deep breath, Damon steps into the house only to find his wife facing him, hands on her hips and steam coming out of her ears. Before she can start spewing the vitriol, Damon raises his palm to halt her.

"Elena, I'm so sorry. I was picking up my office a little bit and then Kol and I started talking. I lost track of time."

"Save it, Damon. It's the same excuse you give me every time that you disappoint me."

"Jesus, Elena, you always, always do this. You make me feel like I could crawl under a snake's belly standing up," Damon blurts out, his eyes boring into hers. When Elena finally breaks their stare, Damon drops his chin to his chest, still wondering how something so wonderful could go so wrong in such a short time. "Are you sure that you want me to go with you?"

"Yes, surely we can pretend to be a happily married couple for a couple of days. I don't want to hear my father lecture me about what a failure my marriage has become."

"Failure ha?" Damon says under his breath. Having had enough, Damon picks up her suitcase and walks outside. Elena shakes her head, grabs them a couple of drinks out of the refrigerator, locks up the house and then finally joins him outside. Damon is already sitting behind the wheel, his attention everywhere but on her when she crawls into the passenger seat. As soon as he hears her seatbelt buckle, Damon puts the car in reverse and backs out of the driveway. Once Damon merges onto the east bound interstate, Damon puts on the cruise control. The tense silence between them is maddening both for Damon and for Elena.

Unable to tolerate it anymore, Elena reaches up and turns on the radio and take her I pad out of her bag to read something, anything to occupy her mind. Choosing to look at her email, Elena starts firing off responses to book inquiries. After Damon and Elena married, she decided to follow her dreams and write a historical novel. With Damon's bar doing so well, he gave his enthusiastic go ahead when Elena suggested taking time off from her freelance work so she could dedicate herself completely to the book. Although there had been other books written about the 1916 shark attacks along the New Jersey shore, Elena found a new angle, even searching out the victims relatives. Quite a lot of research, hard work and travel went into writing her book. Looking back on the last year while she and Damon grew farther and farther apart, Elena knows that they bear responsibility in the breakdown of their relationship.

When her publishing company suggested an extended book tour, Elena readily agreed. The first mistake was not discussing it with Damon. Not without blame himself, Damon decided to open a second location for 'The Bourbon Room', this one about seventy five miles away in Laughlin, Nevada. Between her six month book tour and Damon going back and forth to and from Laughlin, they barely made time for each other. In hindsight, Elena wishes she would have listened to Kol when he warned her that he could see problems on the horizon given their lack of together time. Elena isn't paying any attention to the drive till she notices that the car has exited off of the interstate.

"We need some gas," Damon mentions without bothering to look at her. As soon as Damon pulls up next to a gas pump, Damon jumps out to fill the tank. Feeling tears well up at his indifference and not wanting Damon to notice, Elena gets out of the car. With her back turned to him, Elena says that she's going to use the bathroom then hurries away. Damon hates the animosity that has been building between them for months as well. If he had it to do over again, he wouldn't have opened the Laughlin location. Damon knows full well that he's not blameless in the explosive state of their marriage but he does know that if they have any chance to fix things, they will both have to work at it. He can't do it by himself. Sighing heavily, Damon hangs the gas pump back up, locks the car and then runs inside to use the bathroom himself. Once he finishes, Damon walks inside to buy a couple of energy drinks as he suspects they'll be on the highway till late this evening. After thanking the attendant, Damon hurries back to the car only to find an even more agitated Elena waiting for him.

"You couldn't have waited till I came back?"

"I had to go too. It's not like you've been standing here for hours. Chill," Damon adds, rolling his eyes which only serves to infuriate Elena all the more.

"You're such an ass sometimes," Elena snaps, sliding into the passenger seat again. Rather than say something that they'll both regret, Elena puts on her ear buds and starts to watch a movie on her I pad. As daylight turns into night, Damon begins to feel incredibly tired. Since Elena is already asleep and they're not talking anyway, Damon has no stimulus to help keep him awake. Rather than risk her safety, Damon opts to find a place to stop for the night. Damon exits off of the interstate when he sees a sign for food and lodging. Damon drives for about ten miles till he finally reaches the small town. Stopping at the first motel he sees, Damon runs inside to get a room. By the time he gets back to the car, Elena is just beginning to arouse.

"Why did you stop?"

"It's late, Elena. I'm tired and I'd rather not fall asleep at the wheel. Luckily they had one room left."

"I hope you got one with two beds."

"Elena, I took the last room they had. I'm exhausted, you're exhausted. All we're going to do is sleep," Damon adds, before pulling into the parking space assigned to their room. Although he's drained, Damon unlocks the door for Elena then goes back to the car to grab their suitcases so they can change clothes in the morning. Since there is only one bed, Damon tells her that he'll sleep on the floor if she would prefer that.

"No, Damon. You can't sleep on the floor. We have at least two more days of driving. You need your rest. Just stay on your side of the bed," Elena warns before going into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. Too tired to do any of that, Damon collapses onto the bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

 _"I love you so much, Elena," Damon whispers, taking his place in the cradle of her legs. With his length teasing her opening, Elena cups his cheeks and pulls his mouth to hers. While their lips slide seamlessly together, Damon pushes inside, his eyes roll at the exquisiteness of being here with her right now. When Damon really thinks about it, he is still awed every day by the fact that Elena chose him. Needing air, Damon pulls his lips away while dropping his forehead to rest against hers. Pushing in and out, rolling his hips and probing her insides is nothing short of paradise. This magic between them will never get old._

 _"More Damon," Elena begs, raising her hips to meet his forward surges. Because she wants even more, Damon slams into her even harder, dropping his face into the crook of her neck so he can breathe in the scent that is uniquely Elena. Although it's hard, Damon pulls out to get onto his knees. After raising her legs to his shoulders, Damon sinks back inside, pushing deeper with each forward thrust of his now pistoning hips. Flesh slapping against flesh and the delicious noises leaving Elena's lips fill the room with the sounds of love making. When Damon feels her body begin to shudder, he grunts and growls, feeling his own belly begin to coil and heat up._

 _Reaching Nirvana together, they both scream the others name, his body quivering and quaking with the force of the Krakatoa eruption. Unable to hold himself up, Damon falls onto her, pressing her body into the mattress. Even though Elena is boneless, she still shivers at the friction caused by the way his body is pressing her nipples into the braided fabric of the sheets. When Damon slips out, Elena shifts so she's laying on her side._ _Wanting the moment to linger, she wraps her arms around him, pressing his head against her still heaving bosom. Fingering his hair and pressing kisses to his forehead, Elena loves these moments where she can hold him like this. Even though they are both are covered with a light sheen of perspiration, Damon revels in these moments because he knows that Elena is it for him. No one else will ever take her place in his heart._

When Elena walks out of the bathroom, she sees that Damon is already sound asleep. Not wanting to wake him, she sets the alarm on her cellphone, turns out the lamp on the corner table and then crawls into bed. Although tired herself, Elena has a hard time getting her brain to shut off long enough for her to go to sleep herself. After an hour or so of tossing and turning, Elena sits up at the bedside. Reaching into her purse, she pulls out a bottle of Ibuprofen, pops a couple in her mouth and swallows them down. As long as she's awake, she figures she may as well use the bathroom too. Yawning when she comes back, Elena crawls into bed. Turning onto her left side, Elena faces Damon's back. Ever so gently she touches his back. God, she used to love it when she could press her hands against his perfectly sculpted chest and back when he was deep inside of her. It's been such a long time since they've slept together either intimately or otherwise. When a sense of loneliness pervades her senses, Elena shifts, turning her back to his and closes her eyes, this time sleep comes quickly.

 _"I need to ask you something."_

 _"Okay," Elena replies, raising up on one of her elbows, returning his gaze. Damon's chest is heaving and Elena doesn't know if whatever is on his mind is good or bad. Turning away from her for a moment, Damon reaches over, opening the little drawer in his bedside stand. Elena can't help but notice the way he's biting on his lower lip. Shifting in bed so he can face her, Damon captures her lips in a smoldering kiss. After pulling away, he displays the little blue box in his open palm._

 _"Damon?" Elena mumbles, unable to take her eyes from the box. Damon plants another kiss to her lips then opens it up to reveal an emerald cut diamond ring. The moon light streaming through the window reflects off of the stone, giving it an almost ethereal appearance. Stunned into silence all Elena can do is stare. Smiling at her, Damon leans forward till his lips are barely an inch from hers then whispers, "Elena, will you marry me?"_

 _With her heart hammering against her ribcage a still speechless Elena bobs her head up and down excitedly. Damon snatches her lips in another quick kiss before pulling the ring out of the box and slipping it on that finger. "I love you, Elena."_

 _"Yes, yes," she finally blurts out, throwing her arms around his neck, squeezing Damon so tight that he can barely breathe. 'What a way to die', he thinks to himself, a beaming smile lighting up his whole face._

When Elena's cellphone alarm goes off, they both fly upright in bed. Shaking off the stupor, Damon swings his legs over the side to sit up. Dropping his face into his hands, he rubs the sleep out of his eyes till he has his bearing then gets up, grabs a clean pair of jeans and tee shirt out of his suitcase before disappearing into the bathroom. After disrobing, Damon steps into the hot shower. Picking up the bar of soap, he lathers it up and washes himself. Frustrated about being so close physically yet miles apart emotionally, Damon presses his hands against the shower wall and drops his head, letting the hot water pummel his tense muscles into submission. Knowing he'll hear it in spades if he uses up all of the hot water, Damon turns off the tap and steps out. Taking a moment to wrap a towel around his waist, Damon grabs his clean clothes and leaves the bathroom so his wife can get cleaned up.

Seeing him standing in only a towel, Elena unconsciously licks her lips. Feeling her panties dampen, Elena turns away to get some clean clothes of her own. Not wanting to give into her desire, Elena walks right past Damon and into the shower. That man is sinfully good looking and Elena is all too aware of the heights that he can take her body to. Dropping her nightgown, it pools around her ankles. Stepping out of it, Elena bends over to pick it up. After folding it, she gets into the shower, turning the water on as hot as it will go. Taking the bar of soap, Elena scrubs her heated skin. Unable to slake her lust, Elena uses her fingers to bring herself to orgasm, a raspy mention of his name leaves her lips at the very moment that pleasure washes through her. Cleaning away the remnants of her release. After drying off, Elena quickly dresses then leaves the bathroom, puts her dirty clothing in her suitcase and zips it up. Only now looking at Damon, he gives her a tight smile.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, we have another long day ahead of us. Do you want me to drive for awhile?"

"Maybe later. Let's go." Standing up, Damon picks up their suitcases and walks outside. He puts them back in the trunk and then turns around to see Elena just now walking out of their room. "I'm going to take the key back to the office. Do you want to go with, maybe they have some coffee or a continental breakfast?"

"Sure," Elena agrees, walking beside him. Once they reach it, Damon pulls the door open, stepping aside so she can walk in first. Seeing that they do indeed have a small breakfast set out, Damon gestures with his extended arm for Elena to lead. Taking a sweet roll and a piece of fruit and a cup of black coffee, Elena takes a seat at an empty table. Damon does the same, sitting down in the chair opposite of her.

"I was looking at the map before I picked you up yesterday. I was thinking about going this route. It goes through the Blue Ridge mountains but it looks like it'll shave a couple hundred miles off of the distance. But tell me again why we didn't fly?"

"You know I don't like flying."

"You flew a hell of a lot on your book tour."

"Only those locations that I couldn't drive to. You know that I hate to fly, Damon. Why are you even mentioning it now?"

"Making conversation, Elena. So what do you say about this route?" he asks, pulling the map out of his jacket pocket, he points out the route to Elena.

"Sure, if it gets us there faster, the faster we can turn around and go back to Vegas," Elena agrees. Finishing her cup of coffee, she gets up to get a refill. "Do you want another cup?" Nodding, Damon quickly swallows what's left in his own cup before handing it to Elena. The two of them finish their breakfast in silence. After throwing away their garbage, Damon opens the door for her then steps outside himself.

"It's a little chilly today," Damon mentions, pulling his jacket closed.

"It is December, Damon. It's supposed to be cold!"

"The devil you say," Damon scoffs, shaking his head. Once they're in the car, Damon pulls onto the highway, merging onto the interstate as soon as they reach the correct exit. Rolling down the window for some fresh air, Damon sucks it in. While Elena is engrossed in her I pad, Damon turns on the radio and starts rocking out to the eighties channel on the radio, singing along with the oldies. With her earbuds in, Elena doesn't pay any attention to Damon. Scrolling through her messages, she sees one from Kol. Feeling an overwhelming need to talk to him, Elena tells Damon to exit at the next rest area so she can use the bathroom. Fortunately about a half an hour later, Damon pulls into the rest area, parks the car and then jumps out himself.

Stepping out but staying near the car since Damon didn't lock it, she pushes the puppy icon that is Kol. When she hears his voice, Elena blurts out, "Hi, Kol."

"Elena, hi. Is everything okay?"

"Other than the car atmosphere being as thick as mud between us, yeah, I'm okay."

"Elena?!"

"I know, Kol. I hate the way things are too but I don't know how to go about fixing it. It can't just be me, Damon has to want it too."

"Yes, he does but you and Damon are two of the most stubborn people ever to walk the planet. You have to talk to each other."

"You're right, I'm just not ready for the conversation yet. Did I tell you that I talked to an attorney, you know about making our separation legal?"

"Elena, you know that I'll always choose you but he's my friend too. Please think about it long and hard before you do something that you'll regret." Since Elena had her back turned, she didn't notice that Damon was standing on the driver's side of car, having heard her mention seeing an attorney. Seething, Damon glares at her before slipping back into the car. Knowing that she should've been more careful, Elena walks away to use the bathroom, saying goodbye to Kol just before stepping into the ladies room. Finishing quickly, Elena washes her hands then hurries back to the car. As soon as she buckles her seatbelt, Damon puts the car in gear and merges back onto the highway.

"Were you going to tell me or were you just going to surprise me with divorce papers? God, Elena, why am I even here?"

"I just talked to him about what legal separation and divorce would entail. I didn't ask him to draw up any papers or anything like that. I just asked for information."

"I don't care. The fact that you even bothered with an attorney tells me that you've already made up your mind about us."

"Damon, let's table this for now, okay? Pretending for the next few days will be hard enough without having this on top of it."

"Fine," Damon snaps, glaring at her for a long few seconds before turning his eyes back to the road. In his mind, Damon has no idea how their marriage and lines of communication just fell apart. Damon doesn't want a divorce, he loves Elena with everything in him but he can't fight for them alone, he needs her to fight for their marriage too. Not knowing which way is up, Damon can only drive, his mind a whir of angry and unsettled emotions.

* * *

Angry at herself for being so careless, having let Damon overhear her conversation with Kol, Elena can only stare out of the window. Damon hasn't uttered another word to her since they left the rest area. The atmosphere in Damon's car is so thick, you could cut it with a rusty blade. Raking her hand through her chestnut tresses, Elena rolls down the window to breathe in a little fresh air. When Elena hears her phone ring, she quickly grabs onto it, grateful for the distraction till she sees who it is.

"Mom?"

"Elena, where are you and Damon? We expected you yesterday," her mother yaps, expressing her disapproval of her wayward daughter as she always does.

"Damon and I are very busy people. We couldn't get away till yesterday but we're on the road now. We should be there sometime tomorrow."

"Why don't you two plan accordingly? For heaven's sakes, Elena, how hard is it to make a plan and stick to it?" With her lips tightening in anger, Elena sets the phone on her lap allowing her to fist her hands for a moment. Momentarily shaking off her intense agitation, she picks up the cellphone again.

"Listen, mom. Damon runs a bar, things come up. I had a couple of articles that I needed to finish. Now if you're done lambasting me, I'm going to hang up," Elena snaps, biting on her lower lips to stop herself from uttering something that she knows that they'll all regret.

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady. I'm still your mother."

"Goodbye, mother." Elena quickly ends the call, turning it off because she knows full well her mother won't take kindly to being hung up on. Dropping it back into her purse, Elena returns to staring out of the window. Even though their marriage is a shambles right now, Elena loves her husband with everything in her. But if their love was so strong, why did their marriage so easily crumble? Elena thinks to herself. Although she knows that they both share responsibility in the breakdown of their relationship, Elena can't help but wonder if love alone will be enough to fix things between them. Despite the many uncertainties, Elena knows that Damon loves her but does Damon know that she loves him. With his mood as it is and as stubborn as he is, Elena knows better than to try to start a conversation with him right now. Having nothing better today, Elena shifts her position, lays the seat back and closes her eyes, grateful that sleep is quick in coming.

" _Hi," Elena gushes when she walks into The Bourbon Room, finding Damon staring at a platter full of cupcakes._

 _"Ooh, you think we could sneak one before the party?" Elena asks, smiling at her man._

 _"I think Caroline might fry us in the sun," Damon teases, holding one out for her to take a bite._

 _"It's worth the risk," Elena winks. Her eyes meet his as she leans in to take a bite._

 _"Mmm." Smiling, Damon watches intently as she takes a bite, savoring the flavor of the rich buttercream icing as it erupts on her taste buds. When Elena pulls away, Damon reaches over to brush her lower lip with his thumb._

 _"Come here."_

 _"You know, we never talked about the fact that you kissed me last night. In the middle of our fight, you just kissed me."_

 _"And you kissed me back?"_

 _"I know."_

 _"That's the whole point of kissing so you don't have to talk about it. Right?"_

 _"Well, I just wanted you to know that I'm good with it."_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Yeah.."_

 _"We, we're good. Really good," Elena says, her eyes playful and twinkling._

 _"Was this the talk?" Damon asks, an ear to ear smile forming on his face._

 _"Pretty much."_

 _"Perfect," Damon mumbles, leaning forward to capture her lips in a heady kiss._

When Damon notices that Elena's breathing is even and rhythmic, he chances a look at her. Thankful that she's sound asleep so he doesn't have to speak, Damon drives, staring straight ahead, occasionally venturing yet another glance at her. His gut is roiling with anxiety about their marriage. Is it really over, Damon thinks to himself, squeezing the steering wheel even harder. The drive is tedious and boring till they reach the Blue Ridge Parkway. The mountains are beautiful, the abundance of pine trees makes for a peaceful drive. After taking the exit that he mentioned to Elena at the motel, Damon feels a bit of unease when it starts to snow. Shaking it off because it's just a light dusting, Damon continues to drive. Suddenly he notices that the mph gauge is dropping. Pressing on the gas pump doesn't help at all. Shifting into neutral, Damon turns the ignition, hoping it'll fire up. Having lost all power, Damon pulls to the side of the road. What's worse is that he hasn't seen any traffic in either direction for the last couple of hours. Once the vehicle makes a complete stop, Damon pulls the hood lever then jumps out of the car to check the electronics. Finding nothing wrong, Damon drops the hood then pulls his cellphone out of his pocket. Of course, the car would croak where there is no reception. Frustrated beyond measure, Damon looks up at the now threatening looking sky. With his focus only on how to find help, Damon doesn't notice that Elena has gotten out of the car.

"What's wrong, Damon?" Elena asks. Damon can tell that she's scared by the tone of her voice. Cold, Elena quickly zips up her coat and thrusts her hands in her pockets.

"Damon?"

"The car died, Elena. I don't know what's wrong and on top of that, there's no cell signal here. I'm sorry, okay?"

"Damon, it's not your fault but what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Elena. I guess we'll have to either start walking or hope a good Samaritan will come along."

"Damon, I'm scared," Elena whispers, her eyes beginning to moisten. Knowing that he has to protect her, Damon opens his arms, embracing her in a hug. Even though he knows that these moments are probably nearing an end, Damon can't help but drop a kiss to the crown of her head, while whispering that he won't let anything happen to her.

To be continued...

* * *

 _Humungous thanks to you, Eva. Love you so much. Your wisdom and love and brilliance are simply boundless._

 _Also a huge thanks to all of you. Your support and kind words are the main reason that I'm still here. I seriously considered leaving fan fiction not all that long ago. Know that each and every one of you are very much appreciated. Thank you._

 _This story is based on my own prompt for 2015's Christmas A2A exchange on Live Journal._

 _I found the cover image on a web search. I did not make it aside from adding the title of the story. Credit to whoever did so._

 _Please remember to click the review button and follow along if you're interested to see what happens._

 _'Nothing Left to Fear', 'Turn the Page' and 'I Fall to Pieces' are all still in progress. Would love your thoughts on those as well._

 _Be safe and have a wonderful day._


	2. Sun Goes Down

As nightfall approaches, Damon is beginning to feel fearful too. Not one car has driven past since their vehicle's engine died. Elena is curled into herself to try to keep warm. The rational side of Damon knows that they should stay with the car but the side that's beginning to feel a sense of panic is urging him to take off on foot. Jumping back into the car, Damon drops his chin to his chest when their eyes meet. He knows she's scared, hell he's petrified himself but Damon also knows that he needs to keep a level head if they're going to find their way out of this.

"What are we going to do, Damon?" Elena asks, her teeth chattering.

"We'll have to stay with the car tonight. When it's daylight, I'll start to walk. I'm not going to let you die, Elena." Feeling tears begin to prick at her eyes, Elena can only nod. It doesn't take long till Damon notices that she's either asleep or pretending to be asleep. Closing his eyes himself, he's started awake moments later when he hears the unmistakable roar of an engine. Although it's snowing and the visibility is poor, when Damon sees headlights coming closer, he jumps out of the car and starts to flail his arms, hoping that the driver will stop. "Thank Christ," Damon mumbles when the truck pulls to a stop behind his car.

"It looks like you've got yourself in a mess here," the man says. As soon as the guy reaches Damon, he extends his hand. "I'm Gus, I run the body shop in the next town." Looking inside the car, he sees that Elena is staring at him. "I can tow it in tomorrow but there's nothing I can do tonight but get you folks out of this weather."

"I'm Damon and this is my wife, Elena. We are so grateful that you stopped. Thank you."

"The snow is starting to come down a little harder. There's a blizzard warning for this area so we need to get back to town as soon as possible."

"Do you have room for our suitcases? There are only two plus my wife's toiletries."

"Sure, but we need to hurry." Nodding Damon opens the car door to tell Elena that the man is giving them a lift.

"Are you sure that we can trust him?"

"No, Elena, I'm not but we don't have any other choice. The snow is coming down harder and I'd prefer it if neither of us freezes to death."

"Okay." Elena grabs her purse, sticks her I pad inside then gets out of the car. Slipping on the ice just before reaching him, Damon catches her, preventing her from falling on her rear. "Thank you."

"You're still my wife, Elena. I wouldn't let you fall."

"Damon, I didn't mean it like that."

"Oh, I know what you meant. Let's go, he's waiting." Elena nods and walks towards the man while Damon grabs their bags from the trunk. With the emergency lights on already, Damon quickly locks up the car and then walks over to Gus and Elena.

"Get in," Gus tells them, holding open the rear driver's side door for Elena to crawl in.

"Thank you," Elena says softly, rubbing her arms vigorously to warm them up. Damon crawls into the front seat with Gus. Feeling all kinds of uneasy, the only thing Elena can do is hope for the best. "Is there a motel in the town we're going to?"

"No, mam, we don't have one."

"Where are we going to stay then?" Elena asks, her eyes meeting Damon's when he looks over his shoulder.

"We don't often have guests in our town. Back in the 1920's, the town was bustling with activity but during the Great Depression, the town just kind of dried up. Not many people found their way back once the war started. But to answer your question, mam, Miss Sheila's home was a boarding house back in the early part of the twentieth century. She's kind of the town's designated guest keeper. Everyone loves Sheila and because she has this uncanny ability to read people, some of the younger people say she's a witch, good naturedly of course," Gus laughs. Damon shares an uneasy look with Elena then turns his attention back to the man.

"Thank you, Gus, for everything. My wife and I are beyond grateful that you stopped. How many people live in your town now?"

"Oh around twenty five hundred. With the holidays upon us, we had our annual tree lighting ceremony but the Christmas pageant is still coming up. The kids always look forward to it."

"I would imagine. Any idea how long till we can be on the road again?"

"That'll depend on what I find wrong with your car when I tow it in tomorrow."

"I understand," Damon tells him, chancing another quick glance over his shoulder at Elena. Soon lights come into view so Damon knows they're near the town. As soon as he enters the town's border, Gus points out his body shop. It has a tow truck sitting in front of it. Damon is grateful that if they were going to break down, at least someone had the decency to stop to help them. The town is very quaint, almost like something out of Dicken's novel, Damon thinks to himself. There are wreaths and holiday finery attached to the lamp poles when they get to Main street. For Damon, it feels like he stepped back in time. With Elena and Damon busy perusing the sights, Damon doesn't look up till he hears the blinker just before Gus makes a right turn onto a long driveway, pulling to a stop when they reach the front door. He hadn't even realized that they had driven through town and out into the country a little ways. The lights are still visible when he looks out of the rear window which tells him that they're not too far outside of the city limits.

"I'm going to tell Miss Sheila that you're here. Her granddaughter, Bonnie lives here too," Gus tells them before stepping out of the car. Damon and Elena watch as he knocks on the door. Gus bounces from one foot to the next, blowing his warm breath into his hands till finally the door opens up. When it opens just a little farther, Elena notices the older woman. She relaxes immediately when she sees a big smile form on the lady's face. She disappears, returning moments later wearing a coat then hurries over to the car with Gus. The woman opens the back door, immediately taking Elena's hand in hers.

"Come, let's get you inside. I'm Sheila Bennett," the lady says, introducing herself. Damon watches as the woman takes Elena's hand and leads her into the house. Without waiting any longer, Damon gets out too, walking around to the back of the truck where Gus has the trunk open to take their suitcases out. Damon reaches into his wallet to give the man some gas money.

"No, I don't want that. I'm just very glad I came upon you when I did." Stunned by the man's generosity and genuine kindness, Damon puts his wallet back in his pocket. Extending his hand, Damon shakes vigorously when Gus latches on.

"Thank you again, Gus. I don't know if we'd be alive in the morning if not for you."

"Stop," Gus scoffs, embarrassed by the praise Damon is heaping on him. Vowing to somehow repay the man, Damon gives him a smile and lifts his and Elena's suitcases out of the trunk. Helping Damon with one of the suitcases, Gus gestures for Damon to follow him into the home. "Sheila, this is the lady's husband, Damon...?"

"Damon Salvatore, mam. Thank you so much for taking us in."

"Go over by your wife and get warmed up. I'll be right in with some hot chocolate. I like to add a smidge of Bailey's with some whipped crème on top," she whispers, winking at him. Barely able to hold back a laugh, Damon admits that the concoction does sound mighty tasty. After setting the suitcases down, Damon walks into the living room to join Elena in front of the fire.

"These are nice people," Damon mentions, trying to make conversation with his wife.

"They seem to be. We'll have to keep up the pretense, Damon. They don't need to hear us fighting."

"Of course, Elena. We can't have that now, can we?" he adds before turning away from her. When Damon sees Gus about to leave, he hurries over to him. "Here's my car keys so you can tow it tomorrow, Gus."

"I'll call you after I get it to the shop and have a look at it. We don't have any cell towers here so I'll have to call Sheila's landline. But listen, my Gracie is probably worried sick so I need to get home. You and the Mrs. stay warm," the man says then steps outside, pulling the front door shut. Having no choice but to rejoin his wife, Damon walks into the living room, taking a seat near the fireplace but not beside Elena. Angry that he's being so difficult, Elena grumbles a little on the inside but forces a smile on her face when Sheila walks back in with huge mugs of hot chocolate. Just as she hands one to Elena, someone shouts, "Grams, I'm home," before the door slams shut again.

"In the dining room, Bonnie. We have guests," Sheila says, smiling at them. Gladly accepting the hot frothy drink, Damon takes a sip, letting it warm his insides. "This is really good," he mentions, looking up when he sees the younger woman, Bonnie, step into the parlor too.

"Sweetheart, these are our guests, Damon and Elena Salvatore. They had some car trouble so Gus dropped them off."

"Hi there," Bonnie says, a huge smile on her face when she shakes first Damon's hand and then walks over to Elena to do the same.

"It's nice to meet you, Bonnie," Elena says, a genuine smile forming on her face.

"What brings you to our neck of the woods?" Sheila asks, handing a mug to her granddaughter as well.

"We were on our way to Elena's parents home in North Carolina for the holidays. The car just quit."

"Car repair can be very expensive but Gus is a great guy. You don't have to worry about him charging you exorbitant fees," Bonnie adds, taking a drink from her mug. Damon happens to notice just as Elena licks some of the whipped cream off of her upper lip. That move has always sent blood rushing straight to his groin. Discreetly repositioning himself, Damon picks up his own drink, emptying the cup with one big gulp, savoring the subtle burn of the alcohol as it goes down his throat. Damon and Sheila notice Elena yawning at the same time.

"Looks like you two could use some sleep. Bonnie, which room should we give them?"

"It is Christmas, grams so why don't we give them the blue room. It's the nicest one."

"Great idea. Damon, why don't you grab your suitcases and follow us upstairs," Sheila says to them, standing up to collect the empty cups.

"Can I help you with the dishes?" Elena asks, covering her mouth when she yawns again.

"No, child. You need some sleep. There's a blizzard moving in. There will be plenty that you can help with tomorrow if you'd like."

"Yes, very much so," Elena agrees, looking at Damon when he walks back into the parlor, suitcases in his hands.

"Come with me," Bonnie says, motioning for them to follow with her hand. The three of them, followed soon after by Sheila go up the hard wood staircase. Although it's beautiful, it still creaks a little with each step. When Damon sets on of the suitcases down at the top of the stairs, he runs his fingers along the ornately carved railing. This house is a treasure, he thinks to himself. Picking up the bag again, he quickly catches up with the women, following them into the blue room. The walls are painted a pale blue. The drapes are blue too. Given the season, there is even a Christmas tree set up in one of the corners. There are sliding glass doors that lead out to a patio as well. Sheila quickly pulls the drape across it to keep the draft out. There's even a fireplace in the room. Damon loves this. Grabbing some of the wood, Bonnie tosses it in the fireplace and soon the crackling of the flames can be heard. It'll be nice and toasty in this room tonight especially if Damon has to curl up on the small settee.

"We'll let you get some sleep. No need to get up early in the morning, you've had a trying day."

"Thank you, Sheila and you too, Bonnie. If there's anything Elena and I can do to thank you for your kindness, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Oh don't you worry about that. If we're not snowbound tomorrow, I intend to have Elena help me tomorrow with the children's pageant."

"Really?" Elena asks, her mouth hanging open in awe. "I would love to help, Bonnie." Damon is a little shocked, he hasn't seen Elena this excited about anything since a publisher expressed interest in her book."

"Yes, really. Now goodnight," Sheila says, linking her arm with Bonnie's and pulling her out of the room, leaving Elena and Damon to themselves. Damon notices that there is an attached bathroom as well. It must've been added to house later. He imagines that the boarding house is at least a hundred years old if not older. He would love it if he and Elena could live in a place like this. But then again, there probably won't be a Damon and Elena much longer given that his wife is consulting attorneys about the state of their marriage. Suddenly sadness pervades his senses. Rather than dwell on it, Damon picks up his suitcase, lays it on the cushioned bench at the foot of the bed, unzips it and pulls out a pair of pajamas.

"I'm going to shower. Where do you want me to sleep?" Damon asks, but this time it's Damon who notices that Elena is already sound asleep, curled up on the top of the bedspread. Seeing the quilt at the foot of the bed, Damon covers her up then steps into the bathroom, closing the door, separating him from her.

* * *

With the fire wood only embers when he wakes up, Damon wakes up to find Elena wrapped around him. Obviously she must've gotten cold too or she wouldn't be in this position. Damon wants the moment to last because who knows if the opportunity will ever present itself again. Burying his face in her hair, Damon breathes her in, the vanilla and Jasmine scent of her perfume always lingers. When she starts to stir, Damon notices the goosebumps on her skin. Although he doesn't want to move, Damon knows that he needs to get the fire stoked up again. The room is still very dark so he knows that it's too early to get up yet. Despite the early hour and wanting to stay cuddled under the blankets, Damon carefully extricates himself from underneath Elena. Shivering, he walks over to the fireplace. Grabbing the poker, Damon works it till he sees the reddish orange embers.

After putting several logs on the grate, Damon takes a match and throws it on the logs. As soon as the fire starts to crackle and pop as it comes to life, Damon quickly uses the bathroom. Deciding to check the weather, he peeks through the gap in the drapes to look outside, swallowing thickly when he can't see out because the glass is frosted over but he can hear the wind howl. Knowing that it was supposed to blizzard, Damon is certain that they're in the midst of it. Snow is rare in Las Vegas but Damon remembers how much he loved playing in the snow when he was a little boy growing up in Montana.

Even though the fire is starting to warm the room back up, Damon hurries back to bed, crawling under the covers. Damon sighs when he sees that Elena has moved to back to the other side of the bed. Curling up himself, he buries his head under the covers and closes his eyes, hoping he'll fall back to sleep very soon.

 _"Do you want to share a waffle cone?"_

 _"Only if it's filled with ice cream," Elena teases._

 _"Duh," Damon replies, laughing himself. The two of them are walking down the Las Vegas strip but since it's very hot out today, they decide to walk into the Forum shops at Caesar's Palace to get some Gelato instead. Damon holds out his hand for Elena and as soon as she laces her fingers with his, they stroll up to the Gelato counter. Damon orders a large scoop of the mango flavor in a waffle cone along with two spoons. After paying for it, Damon hands it to Elena, following her to a little table. Sitting side by side, Elena puts a dollop on her spoon then feeds it to Damon. When she pulls it out of his mouth, Damon licks his lips seductively. Seeing the effect he's having on her by the way she's shifting in her chair, Damon leans forward to let her feed him another bite. As soon as she puts the spoon to his mouth, he sticks his tongue out, lapping the icy goodness from the spoon. When Elena takes her own bite of the gelato, she gives him the same treatment, running her tongue salaciously along her upper lip. Feeling a shiver of lust exploding in his dick, Damon leans forward, this time latching onto her lips in a heady kiss, savoring the taste of her and the gelato._

 _"God, I love you," Damon blurts against her lips when he pulls away just slightly. Elena's mouth drops open for a millisecond before a beaming smile erupts all over her face._

 _"That's the first time you said that to me." Beaming himself, Damon picks up the spoon and feeds some of the tasty cold confection to her. Knowing what's he's going to do, Elena breathes in a shuddering breath, repositioning just slightly. When she sees Damon's eyes darkening, Elena leans forward so their lips are millimeters apart and whispers, 'Let's get out of here." Bobbing his head up and down, Damon flies upright, grabs her hand to hurry to his place as quickly as they can get there._

"Shot through the heart and you're to blame" starts blaring from Elena's cellphone, startling Damon out of his beautiful dream. Taking a moment to rub the sleep from his eyes, Damon's eyes drift to his wife who's already sitting up, her back facing him. Without saying a word, Damon throws his legs over the side of the bed. Blowing out a breath, he stands up and walks over to the fireplace, picks up the poker again and adds a couple more logs. After sharing a glance with Elena, he wordlessly ambles over to the sliding glass doors to look outside. The wind is still howling outside. Pulling back the curtain, the glass is still frosted over.

"It looks nasty outside," Damon mentions casually.

"We won't be going anywhere today," Elena says, her shoulders dropping.

"Your parents will just have to understand. They wouldn't want you to risk your life in this weather."

"No but she'll scold me for not leaving when we should have thanks to you."

Saying nothing, Damon grabs his jeans and a shirt then disappears into the bathroom. Dressing quickly, he steps out, telling her he's going to ask Sheila if there's anything he can do to help then slips out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Wishing she had kept her mouth shut, Elena gets up to go to the bathroom and gets dressed. As long as they're stuck here, she may as well have something to do. Feeling a shiver from a cold draft that filters in with a particularly strong gust of wind, Elena embraces herself. Rubbing her arms up and down, Elena steps in front of the fireplace to warm up for a few minutes before digging a pair of jeans and her Yellowstone sweatshirt out of her suitcase. Fingering the sweatshirt, Elena smiles fondly, remembering how happy Damon was when he took her there for the first time.

 _Standing on the boardwalk both Damon and Elena have their cellphone cameras ready as they count down the moments till Old Faithful is scheduled to erupt. Damon drops his eyes to hers, a huge smile on his face. Within moments, the geyser erupts, sending a plume of water and steam to heights of anywhere from ninety to one hundred and eighty four feet into the air. Oohs and ahs fill the air while both Damon and Elena are filming the eruption._

 _Old Faithful eruption intervals vary anywhere from forty four to one hundred and twenty five minutes, averaging about ninety minutes. The show usually lasts one and a half to five minutes. One of the rangers told Elena that ninety percent of their eruption predictions are plus or minus ten minutes. Old Faithful was named by the Washburn expedition of 1870. They were impressed by its size and frequency. It's not the biggest or the most regular geyser in the park but it is the biggest regular geyser. It has been erupting in the same fashion through the recorded history of Yellowstone. Through the years it has become one of the most studied geysers in the park._

 _When the eruption peters out, Elena and Damon stop filming. Slipping his cellphone in his pocket, Damon embraces her in his arms, dropping kiss after kiss to the top of her head. "Thanks for coming here with me."_

 _"I love it here and I love you, Damon."_

 _"I love you too," Damon whispers against her mouth, dropping a peck to her lips before taking her hand and leading her down the boardwalk to view more of the upper geyser basin._

Her reverie is broken when she hears her husband's voice. Although she looks up at him, Elena doesn't say anything.

"Um, Sheila said to bring you down for breakfast."

"I need to get dressed," she tells him then disappears into the bathroom. Seeing no need to wait for her, Damon shakes his head then walks out of the room. As soon as he gets downstairs again, he walks over to the window to look outside. From his perspective it looks like there's at least a foot of snow outside. With his head leaning against the glass and his mind on Elena, Damon doesn't notice when Bonnie steps beside him.

"Good morning, Damon."

"Good morning, Bonnie. There's a lot of snow out there."

"I think we're supposed to get around twenty inches."

"Although I grew up in Montana, Elena and I live in Las Vegas. It doesn't snow often."

"I'm just glad that Gus found you two when he did," Bonnie adds, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. When Bonnie sees Elena walking down the stairs, she tells the couple to come to the kitchen for breakfast. Dutifully following along, Damon behind Elena, they get to the kitchen just as the phone starts to ring. The Bourbon Room has a landline but Damon and Elena don't have one at their home.

"Damon, it's for you. It's Gus," Sheila says, handing him the line.

"Good morning, Gus," Damon starts to say, deflating visibly to Elena's eyes as she watches him. "No, Gus. Don't risk your life for my car... Be safe and thanks again, bye now," Damon says, hanging up the phone. Having heard only one side of the conversation, Elena asks him what the man had to say.

"He can't go out in this weather to get our car. The visibility is near zero, Elena. We can't ask him to risk his life over a car."

"No, of course not," Elena snaps, dropping her chin to her chest. Sheila doesn't miss the tension between the two of them. Bonnie kind of laughed at her last night when she mentioned that this couple were having problems. Hopefully by the time they leave here, she can help them be in a better place. When Bonnie looks at her grandmother, Sheila raises an eyebrow, signaling I told you so. Bonnie nods her head in agreement then quickly helps Sheila put their food on the table. As soon as they're seated, Sheila turns to Damon.

"Would you mind bringing some wood inside after breakfast? There's no sense shoveling until the storm blows over."

"Of course, Sheila. I'd be happy to help out in any way I can."

"My Willie's old parka should fit him don't you think, Bonnie?"

"I'm sure grandpa's coat will fit. Do you have a pair of gloves for him, Grams?"

"Yes, sweetheart," Sheila adds, putting a bite of pancake in her mouth.

"Since we're stuck here today, Elena, would you like to help me do some decorating? I also need to clean Gram's fish tank."

"Yes, I'd love that, Bonnie," Elena replies, her spirits perking up a little bit. "Our first date," Elena starts to say, gesturing between her and Damon, "was at the shark reef aquarium at the Mandalay Bay Casino. It was a magical night," Elena muses, sharing a quick glance with Damon before taking a bite of her eggs.

"Oh my gosh," Bonnie squeals. "I thought there was something familiar about the two of you. You were on 'The Dating Game' right?"

"Yeah, that's where we met," Damon admits, his eyes dropping as soon as Elena looks at him. "Um, can I have a refill, Sheila?" Damon asks, pointing to his empty coffee mug. When Sheila nods, Damon stands up to grab the carafe, refilling everyone's cup before sitting back down.

"I can't believe that the two of you got married. I remember the shark tank date. Wow, talk about a small world," Bonnie muses, stuffing her mouth with a bite of hashbrowns.

"We married about eighteen months after that date," Elena tells her, getting up to put her dirty dishes in the sink. "Do you want me to wash the dishes?"

"No sweetheart, you and Bonnie can start stringing popcorn and cranberries. Bonnie has everything set up in the game room. That's where the fish tank is too."

"You ready?" Elena asks, her attention on Bonnie.

"Yep." Getting up herself, she puts her dirty dishes in the sink too then takes Elena hand, leading her out of the kitchen. Damon watches till the two of them disappear down the hall, snapped out of his reverie when Sheila comes back to the room with a parka and a pair of gloves in hand. Chuckling, Damon slips on the coat. It's a little big but it'll work and then the gloves. Sheila walks out but comes back quickly with a scarf and a hat.

"You lose body heat off the top of your head. There's a wood pile behind the house. Come, I'll lead you to the back door." Nodding, Damon follows along, stepping outside when she opens the door for him. With the whiteout condition out here, Damon is very glad that Gus didn't try to retrieve his car. Fortunately the wood pile is close to the rear of the house or there's a possibility that Damon could get lost himself. Walking over the pile, Damon grabs an armful of logs and sets them just to the right of the door and then retrieves a couple more armfuls before going back into the house. Before taking off his coat, he brings the piles inside and stacks the wood where Sheila tells him to. Once that's done, he takes off the coat, hanging it, the scarf and hat on the hook before following Sheila to the kitchen.

"How are your baking skills, Damon?"

"Why do you ask?" Damon chuckles, knowing that Elena must have mentioned that Damon is a good cook.

"Your wife told me that you know your way around the kitchen. What do you think about mixing up some spritz cookies and some sugar cookies? I can help you with the cookie cutters."

"I'd love to," Damon agrees, grateful to take his mind off of his troubles with Elena for awhile. After she shows Damon around the kitchen, pointing out the cupboards that hold the sugar and flour and spices. The stand mixer is on the counter. Pots and pans are hanging from the ceiling in the center of the appliance area just above a large butcher's table. "I love your kitchen."

"It is very nice. My husband remodeled the kitchen. He died of cancer when Bonnie was ten. Unfortunately our daughter was involved in drugs and alcohol and died young, leaving Willie and me to raise Bonnie," Sheila muses, her eyes distant for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Sheila."

"It's alright. Why don't you get started and I'm going to check on the girls," the woman tells Damon, walking out of the kitchen. With her back turned, Damon doesn't notice the smile on Sheila's face.

* * *

Elena sits at the table threading cranberries and popcorn to make a garland. Bonnie is sitting across from her doing the same. "You know what? There are some sequins in Gram's sewing drawer. They would be pretty on these don't you think?" When Elena nods, Bonnie jumps out of her chair and hurries out of the room at the same time that Sheila walks in.

"How it's going?" the woman asks.

"Bonnie went to get some sequins."

"Yes, that's a splendid idea." Pulling out a chair beside Elena, Sheila sits down, picks up a needle and thread and starts to help make garland. "These are for the staircase," she explains.

"Do you have a lot of guests at Christmas that you go all out like this? I mean, there's even a tree in our room?"

"Because there's no lodging in this town, guests stay here. Sometimes the town folks have relatives come for the holiday and if there's not room at their home, they stay here. Some years it's lonely with just Bonnie and me and other years we have a house full. Weather permitting, Bonnie can take you into town tomorrow to help with the Christmas pageant. We do have some young families with children that live here. The little ones get so excited to get dressed up in their Christmas finery to sing. There's a carnival as well, indoor of course, with games and things. And of course, Santa makes an appearance every year to hand out treat bags. I have some ladies coming over tomorrow, again weather permitting, to make the treat bags. We put peanuts and M&M and things like that in them. There are a couple of children who are allergic to peanuts that we have to accommodate but other than that, it's always a fun day."

"It sounds fabulous. There's nothing like that in Las Vegas that I know of unless some of the schools do so. It's a big city."

"When Willie was still alive, he and I went there for a few days. I don't need to ever go back," Sheila mentions, pushing the needle through on of the cranberries and then a kernel of popcorn. Just as she does, Elena squeaks, having stuck her finger with her needle. Bonnie rejoins them right afterwards but as soon as she sees the droplet of blood forming on Elena's finger, she hurries out, coming back with a band aid in her hand. Once Elena puts it on her finger, Bonnie suggests that she show Elena the game room. Elena nods then follows Bonnie down the hall. Walking inside, Elena is immediately drawn to the big fish tank. It's beautiful and because the fish are so brightly colored, Elena knows it's a salt water aquarium. Pressing her hand against the glass, Elena's mind transports her to that night that brought her and Damon together. As she stares at the Blue Damsel fish and the Clown fish, Elena feels her eyes beginning to moisten. But when she hears Damon's voice, she looks up to see him standing in the doorway with a tray of cookies in his hands. Her eyes dart back and forth between the aquarium and Damon. When her tears start to fall down her cheeks, she excuses herself and runs out of the room, right past Damon. As soon as she reaches their room, Elena rushes inside, pushing the door closed when she slides down the length of it. It's then that the dam breaks, fully releasing her tears.

* * *

 _Thank you so much, Eva. Love you lots and lots. I can't begin to tell you how much you mean to me._

 _Huge thanks to all of you as well. I appreciate all of your support. I'm really very pleased with how this story came together. I hope you all will be too. The next few chapters are long. This has more chapters than 'The Dating Game'._

 _Chapter title: 'Sun Goes Down' by Robin Schulz featuring Jasmine Thompson._

 _"Turn the Page" still has much left to post. We are nearing the end of 'Nothing Left to Fear' but not quite yet._

 _Please do click that review button._

 _I have to go to work. Bye now, be safe and I hope you all have a happy day._


	3. Christmases When You Were Mine

Not knowing what's wrong with his wife, Damon hands Sheila the tray of cookies then hurries up the stairs. Finding their bedroom door locked, Damon drops his head against the wood and raps against the door with his palm. "Elena, let me in."

"I'm fine, Damon. I'll be downstairs soon."

"Elena?!"

"No, I'll be down shortly. We don't need to put our problems on display for Bonnie and Sheila," Elena snaps, immediately regretting it.

"What do you think you just did?" Damon snaps right back at her. Right away Elena hears his footsteps, leaving her alone like she asked him to. Wiping her eyes, Elena stands up to go into the bathroom to wash her face. Once she finishes, Elena takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders and goes back downstairs. The rest of the day is spent with Damon baking all different variety of cookies and then helping Sheila make their evening meal. After stringing the homemade garland, Elena helps Bonnie string it up the stairway. Afterwards, the two of them start to decorate Sheila's home. By night fall, everyone is exhausted. Damon eyes Elena sitting on the floor with Bonnie in front of the fireplace. Too tired to ask her about what happened to set her off this afternoon, Damon says goodnight and then disappears.

"Elena, is everything alright?" Sheila asks, a look of genuine concern reflecting in her eyes.

"Yes, of course. I'm fine, just tired," Elena lies, albeit not very convincingly. Unbeknownst to Elena, Sheila can see right through her. Forcing a tired smile on her face, Elena adds, "I think I'll turn in to. Goodnight and thank you again. I really enjoyed helping with the Christmas trimmings."

"Remember, weather willing, we'll be with the children in the school gym tomorrow."

"That sounds great, Bonnie. I hope we can do that. Goodnight now." Nodding at the two women, Elena walks up the stairs to go the blue room too. Pressing her ear to the door, she doesn't hear anything so she opens their room door as quietly as possible. After pushing the door closed softly, she leans against it as she stares at her husband. She can see that he's asleep by the rhythmic up and down of his chest as he breathes. Tiptoeing, she grabs her pajamas then ganders a peek outside. The snow is still coming down but the wind has died down considerably. The trees look so pretty with the snow clinging to the branches. It looks like a winter wonderland out there. If things were better between her and Damon, she'd ask him to take her sledding. Hoping that she and Bonnie will be able to spend the day with the children tomorrow, Elena will above all else be grateful for the distraction. Smiling sadly, Elena remembers thinking how much she'd love to carry Damon's baby but now that all seems like a faded dream, one destined to crash and burn. Feeling a tear, Elena wipes her eyes then leans over to the turn the water on in the bathtub. Hoping that Sheila and Bonnie stock some bubble bath, Elena looks under the sink, happy when she sees a bottle cinnamon roll scented foaming bath gel. Opening the cap, she takes a whiff. Pleasantly surprised because it smells remarkably like homemade rolls, Elena pours a generous amount into the water and watches the bubbles begin to erupt. After putting it away, she strips out of her clothes then crawls in. Leaning back and closing her eyes, Elena relaxes, hoping to drift away from her troubles at least for a little while.

* * *

When the urge to pee wakes him up, Damon stretches in bed then gets up. Looking around, he notices that Elena is gone. Her side of the bed is ruffled up so he's certain that she slept with him last night. Walking into the bathroom, he does his business before hopping into the shower. Stepping out, he cinches the towel around his waist and walks out of the now steamy bathroom to get some clothes. Stopping to glance out the window, he sees that the sun is shining now so hopefully Gus will be able to get their car once the snow plows have cleared the roads. With his eyes staring outside, his mind is conjuring up images of taking a sleigh ride with Elena. This town is like something out of Dickens novel. It almost makes him wonder if perhaps they do have a horse drawn carriage as part of their pageantry. Damon can only stare at the beauty of the snow capped mountains and the snow flocked pine trees. It's almost like the perfect winter playground. Remembering how his dad used to take him cross country skiing when he was a boy brings a rare smile to his face. Looking out again, he's completely mesmerized by the way the sun glistens off of the newly fallen snow looks like acres of diamonds twinkling at him all at once. So much so in fact that he doesn't hear Elena step into their room.

"Damon..," Elena starts to say, halting when he turns to face her, a sad smile on his face.

"Morning," Damon says before turning back to the pristine wonderland outside.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going with Bonnie to help her with the children's program. Are you going to try to call Gus?"

"Yeah, I'll give him a call." Sighing, Damon drops the blind closed then walks over to the bed. Without thinking about it, Damon drops his towel, revealing his naked backside to her. It's nothing that she hasn't seen before he reasons to himself. Without turning around, he slips on a pair of boxers and then his jeans. After slipping a Henley over his head, he sits on the bed to put his boots and socks on.

"I'll go downstairs with you. I'm going to ask Sheila about shoveling the sidewalk," Damon adds, pulling his left boot on. Standing up, he motions for Elena to go first. Nodding, she walks out of the room with Damon following behind. Taking her hand, Elena feels all the familiar tingles but doesn't say anything. Thinking he's probably just keeping up appearances for Sheila and Bonnie, she plays along. Smelling the aroma fresh coffee, they go to the kitchen. Bonnie is already at the table, a mug in her hands. "Good morning. Did y'all sleep well?"

"I slept like a rock, Bonnie. Sheila, do you mind if I call Gus about our car and would you have his number?"

"He fixes my car too. There's a phone book in the drawer. It's just inside the front cover."

"Thank you," Damon smiles then walks into the parlor where the phone is. Damon loves this old house. He loves the antique looking fixtures and the polished hardwood floors. It's like he and Elena stepped back in time. Surprising even himself, he's grateful for this respite. Even though they've had some not so pleasant moments since arriving, it's still better than it was at home in Las Vegas. After one particularly nasty fight, Elena asked him to leave so he packed his things and moved into his office at the bar. Although he's been propositioned many times since separating from his wife, Damon has never been unfaithful to Elena. He won't unless and until their marriage is legally dissolved.

Sheila's phone is so ancient it has a rotary dial. Chuckling, Damon dials the number that is listed as Gus. When he picks up, Damon says good morning.

 _"Good morning, Mr. Salvatore. I have a friend who works for the county. He's going to give me a call when the road is clear. Then I'll tow your car in."_

"Thank you, Gus. That's what I was calling about. Do you need me to ride with you?"

" _No. I'm sure Sheila has plenty for you to do."_

"Funny you should mention that. I was just going to offer to shovel the sidewalk for her."

" _She has a snow machine with a plow attachment."_

"Good to know. Thanks Gus. I'll let you go. Please give me a call when you know anything about our car."

 _"I will. Have a good day now," Gus tells him before ending the call._

After hanging up the phone, Damon joins the women in the kitchen. He pours himself a cup of coffee before sitting down beside Elena. "What did he say?" Elena asks, putting a forkful of scrambled eggs in her mouth.

"He said that he has a buddy who works for the county and that he'll call once he has a look at the car. Oh and Sheila, he mentioned that you had a snow machine? I thought maybe I could clear the sidewalk and driveway for you."

"Yes, that would be wonderful. After you're finished, if you'd like, you can come downtown with me to pick up the goodies so we can start making the Santa sacks for the children. Would you mind?"

"No, not at all. I'd honestly love to look around this town a little bit. It's like I stepped into a 'Currier and Ives' calendar. I think Gus told me that the population is around two thousand people?"

"I believe it was just over two thousand on the last census. Some young couples with children have moved in since then. We love our little town just the way it is, don't you Bonnie?"

"Yes, I love it too. My boyfriend, Matt is a pharmacist and owns the town drugstore. I'd love for you to meet him, Elena. I told him that you and Damon were 'The Dating Game' couple. He loves to watch the show too and I know he'd be giddy to be able to meet you."

"Um, sure," Elena says, a little taken aback but covers it quickly with a smile.

"Why don't you invite him over for supper tonight instead, Bonnie? I'll make some of my homemade beef stew and bisquits."

"That's a great idea, grams. I'll call him right now," Bonnie squeals jumping up from the table and scrambling out of the room. In the time it takes to blink, Bonnie is back, clapping excitedly. He'll be here around six. I'm going to go to get my shoes on, Elena. Then we'll go over to the school gym. The children are supposed to be there at ten."

"I'm ready whenever you are, Bonnie," Elena adds, finishing off what's left in her coffee cup.

"Sheila, would you mind terribly if I called my parents? They were expecting us today. I'll can give you some money for the long distance charges."

"Sweetheart, now don't you even," Sheila scolds. "Go call them so they don't get worried."

"You're much too kind, Sheila. Thank you," Elena says, quickly leaving the kitchen to call her mom. Feeling a pit in her gut because she knows her mother will lambaste her again, Elena picks up the phone. As soon as she hears her mother's voice, Elena's hands are already clammy. "Mother, it's me."

 _"Where in the world are you and Damon? For heaven's sake, we only ask you to come here once a year and you can't even do that right."_

Clenching her free hand, Elena knows her blood pressure is rocketing given how angry she is right now. Rather than get into with her mother in Sheila's home, Elena takes a deep breath before replying. "Mother, I am not responsible for causing a blizzard. We'll be there as soon as we can. I just don't know when that will be."

" _If you'd get over your childish fear of airplanes, you wouldn't be stuck in bumfuck nowheresville right now would you?"_

Angry tears form in her eyes. Reaching up, she wipes them because she doesn't want to give her mother the satisfaction of knowing that she brought her to tears. "We'll get there when we get there. I have to go now, goodbye, mother," she adds, hanging up before the woman can get another word in. Dropping her head, Elena just stands there, her whole body shaking in anger. Not expecting Damon, she startles when he gently latches onto her forearm.

"What's wrong, Elena?" Damon asks, genuinely concerned.

"What does it matter? You don't care anyway," Elena snaps, staring at him a second before yanking her arm away.

"God damn it, Elena. Why do you question everything I do?"

"Forget it, Damon. Bonnie is waiting for me." With that, she walks away from him, leaving Damon to wonder if they'll ever be able to save their broken marriage.

* * *

Damon slips into Willie's old parka, scarf, hat and mittens. Sheila also managed to scrounge up an old pair of snow boots for Damon. They're maybe a size too big but they'll work, Damon thinks to himself. As soon as he's ready to go outside and tackle the snow removal, Sheila hands him the key to the snow machine. "The snow plow attachment is in the garage too."

"I know it needs to be done but the snow is so pretty and pristine, I almost don't want to stir it up," Damon mentions, staring out of the kitchen window at the blanket of white.

"It is very pretty. You should take some pictures for when you go home to Las Vegas. How do you stand to live there?" Sheila asks, tilting her head slightly.

"My business is there. That's where I met Elena but in all honesty, Sheila, I really love what I've seen of this place so far. I'm looking forward to having you show me around when we go to the get the goodies to make the treat bags."

"My pleasure, Damon. Now get busy. When you're done, we'll go."

"Yes, mam," Damon laughs, wrapping the scarf around his neck as he steps outside. Plodding through the foot deep snow, Damon has to shovel some of the snow away from the garage door before he can pull it open to go inside. Despite the fact that it's hard work, Damon loves it. As soon as he's inside the garage, he quickly puts the plow attachment on, starts the engine and begins to drive, kicking up a dusting of snowy white powder as he does so. Squealing aloud with giddiness, Damon first clears the sidewalk leading to Sheila's front door and then starts to tackle the mounds of snow on the circular drive. As soon as he's done, he notices Bonnie and Elena jump into a vehicle. Elena shares a quick glance with him when they pass him on their way downtown. As if by habit, he waves goodbye then continues with his plowing, enjoying every moment of being outside in this fairytale of a town that time forgot.

* * *

As soon as Bonnie parks the car, the two women walk into the school. It's a small town so the school isn't big by any means. Elena is amazed at how this small town goes all out to celebrate the holidays. Decorations are hung all over the walls as they walk through a long hallway to reach the gymnasium. Each class has homemade construction paper ornaments stuck to the walls outside of the classrooms. The principals office has garland hanging on the door. Since it's so close to Christmas now, the children are out on their holiday break. Getting closer to the gym, Elena can hear what sounds like young children squealing happily which puts a genuine smile on her face for the first time in a long time.

"Bonnie," they all squeal as soon as the two ladies step inside the gym.

"Hi everyone. Are you excited?" Bonnie asks, a huge, ear to ear grin on her face.

"Yay," the children yell and start to clap.

"I want you all to meet my friend, Elena. She's going to help us out. Elena writes stories for a living."

"Really?" a little blonde haired boy with bright blue eyes, asks. Elena is stunned at how similar his eyes are to her husbands. Of course she knows that Damon doesn't have any kids running around but the shade of blue in the boy's eyes are so similar to his.

"Yes, I do. What's your name?"

"My name is Johnny. I'm going to sing and play my drum for the play."

"Really? Can you play some of your drum for me?"

"Can I Bonnie?"

"Yes, of course, Johnny. Go show Elena what you can do," Bonnie laughs, winking at Elena. Johnny takes Elena's hand, practically dragging her onto the stage where his little drums are set up. Excitedly, he sits down, grabs the sticks and starts banging away. Although it's more noise than anything else, Elena loves his enthusiasm. "Bravo," she squeals, clapping loudly when he finishes. A giggle leaves her lips when he gets up to take a bow. Moments later, Bonnie and the other children join the two of them on stage.

"Elena, do you know how to play the piano?"

"I do. What would you like me to play?" Elena asks, walking over to the piano.

"Do you know, 'Frosty the Snowman' and 'Rudolph?"

"I do indeed," Elena tells her. Pressing her fingers to the keys, she starts playing the music Bonnie requested. As Elena plays, Bonnie directs the children to sing along. In no time, Elena troubles are forgotten as she loses herself in the festive atmosphere and the little children.

* * *

When Damon finishes, he goes into the house where Sheila has a steaming cup of hot chocolate waiting for him. But due to the time of day and the fact that they have errands to run, she doesn't spike it with anything. Once he warms up and changes out of his damp jeans, the two of them get in Sheila's car to drive downtown.

"Do you mind stopping at Gus's shop so I can ask about the car?"

"No problem. We drive right past it anyway," Sheila says, making a right turn out of her driveway. As they drive, Damon feels like he stepped back in time. He's completely in awe of this little town. Since the roads in town have been plowed, Sheila takes him a on little sightseeing tour, pointing out and naming the mountains that surround this little haven. Damon is surprised when she points to the little museum dedicated to the town's history. Parking the car, Sheila and Damon go inside to look at the place. There really isn't a lot here because the town is small but there are pictures of local veterans that served in the military. Sheila explains that the town actually was incorporated in 1842. It had its hay day in the roaring twenties. Sheila points out some of the artifacts from the wars and then the story of how the place nearly dried up for lack of a better word during the Great Depression.

"We have things to do, Damon so lets gets going," Sheila mentions, pointing towards the entrance.

"Yes, mam," Damon laughs, following her outside to her car. Driving further into town, Damon is struck by the noel and happy holiday greetings are strung across the roads when they reach Main street. Every store has a Christmas wreath hanging on their doors. The windows are flocked with canned snow. Damon is simply blown away by the mystique of this place.

"Your mouth is hanging open," Sheila laughs, "What are you thinking about?"

"I was looking outside this morning before I came downstairs. It's like this town is straight out of a 1940's movie. I mean that in a good way. My father loved the artwork of Currier and Ives. It's like Elena and I fell through the looking glass and landed in one of those paintings. I love it here, Sheila. I can't explain it," Damon tells her, unbuckling his seat belt when she stops the car in front of the automotive shop. "I take it this is Gus's business?"

"Yes, sir. The grocery store is just down the block. Come down there when you're done with Gus." Sheila tells him then walks away while Damon steps inside, the bell above the door rings, announcing his presence. "Mr. Salvatore, I was just about to call you," Gus says, wiping his greasy hands on an old rag.

"What's the verdict, Gus?"

"Well, because of the weather and the proximity to Christmas, it's going to take a few days to have the part I need delivered."

"Um, is there any way to put a rush on the part?"

"I can try, Mr. Salvatore," Gus starts to say, pausing when Damon raises his palm. "Please call me, Damon. And although I'd like nothing more than to stay in your magnificent little town, my wife's parents will be apoplectic. Sometimes they come down pretty hard on her," Damon admits, raking his hand through his messy black locks.

"I'm sorry, Mr. I mean, Damon. I can talk to my friend in Antelope Springs but I doubt that I can get the piece any sooner. If it gets here, if his estimate was correct, I can maybe have you on the road in three of four days."

"I don't want anyone to risk their lives. If I have to, I'll talk to my in-laws. They're not the most pleasant people on the planet, I can tell you that."

"Surely, they wouldn't want anything to happen?"

"No, I don't think so, but they can be very unreasonable sometimes. But, I'll let you get back to work. Sheila is expecting me at the store. I'm going to help her make gift baskets."

"Well, I won't keep you then. I'll have you know that I'm Santa," Gus adds, his chest puffing out proudly.

"Why am I not surprised?" Damon laughs, walking over to the Christmas tree set up in Gus's business. After the two men exchange a few more pleasantries, Damon says goodbye and walks down the street. When he sees Sheila waving to him through the store window, he laughs and walks inside to join her. Even the grocery store has Christmas regalia set up all over the place. As soon as Sheila has everything she needs in the cart, the two of them go through the checkout line. Damon pushes the cart outside to her car, unloads it and then takes it back inside. Sheila has the motor running by the time he gets back outside. Jumping in, Damon is excited to help make the goodie bags for the little children. Although he doesn't dare admit it to Elena, he's grateful that if they had to get stuck, at least it was here in this magical little town.

* * *

Once Damon brings everything into the house, Sheila grabs a stack full of brown paper bags along with crayons, ribbons, markers, Christmas stickers and glue to decorate them with. Damon finds himself wishing Elena was here too because she'd be in her element helping decorate these. Hoping she'll get home to help out, Damon sits down at the table with Sheila.

"You can draw whatever you want on the bags as long as it's Christmas related. Trees, Santa's, Frosty's, wreathes. The kids get so excited."

"I hope we're around to watch," Damon muses, picking up a bag from the stack. Reaching for a red and a green crayon and a few stickers, Damon lets his artistic side take over. While he's busy, Sheila gets up to make them a pot of coffee. After putting some cookies on a plate, she brings them out along with a cup of coffee for each other them.

"Thank you, Sheila. Good cookies," Damon laughs, giving the older woman a flash of his eye thing as Elena calls it.

"You're such a flirt, Damon. How does Elena put up with you?" she laughs, taking a swallow of her coffee. Stuffing the cookie into his mouth, Damon quickly grabs another, following it with a big swallow of Sheila's excellent coffee. Excusing himself for a moment, Damon uses the bathroom then washes his hands to start working on the gift bags again.

"What do you think?" Damon asks, holding up an example of his artwork. The sack has a Christmas tree sprinkled with glitter on it.

"I see you have an artistic side," Sheila laughs, showing him her own prowess with the crayons.

"How come you don't just buy holiday-themed bags? It would save you a lot of time," Damon inquires, not looking up from his work.

"Where would the fun be in that?" Looking up, Damon smiles and nods before grabbing another bag to embellish.

While Damon is busy with Sheila, Elena is having the time of her life with Bonnie. The children are all on stage performing a Christmas song that Bonnie helped them with. While they're singing, Elena is dancing around with another of the little kids. Just as the kids finish the song, several women show up with cupcakes and Kool aide for them. Indulging themselves, Elena eats one of the yummy cupcakes. Walking out of the gym, Elena walks to the door to look out of the window. It's not late yet, only about two in the afternoon but the children have been working hard since this morning. After Bonnie tells the parents that she'd like another rehearsal same time tomorrow, Elena smiles because she has something exciting to look forward to. Stepping away from the door so the kids can leave, Elena tells each one of them goodbye with a promise that she'll be back tomorrow. Her heart curls into itself when little Johnny gives her a hug. Hugging him back, Elena feels a tear begin to prick but quickly composes herself so the little guy won't see her cry. Bonnie gives her a knowing smile. When the kids are all gone, Bonnie locks the building and the two of them drive back to Sheila's. For the first time in a long time, Elena is excited to tell Damon about her day.

When Bonnie and Elena step in the house, immediately the sound of Damon and Sheila's laughter fills the air. It's been so long since Elena has heard a heartfelt, deep laugh from Damon. With her mood quickly turning to melancholy, Elena asks Bonnie if it would be okay if she gave her best friend a jingle. Bonnie nods and walks up the grand staircase with Elena.

"Your boyfriend is coming over?"

"Yes, so I have to glam up a little bit," Bonnie adds, playfully rolling her eyes.

"Of course," Elena laughs. "I'll come down stairs after I talk to Kol and get freshened up a little."

"Alright, Elena. From the smell of it, I think Grams must've talked Damon into helping her with the cooking."

"Damon likes to cook. He says it relaxes him."

"Grams will keep him busy then. I'll see you downstairs, Elena," Bonnie tells her, then walks away. As soon as she goes into her own room, Elena pushes the door closed. After clicking the lock, she walks over to the phone to call Kol. The last thing she needs right now if for Damon to overhear her again. Picking up the receiver, she quickly dials Kol, biting her nails till he finally picks up.

"Kol, it's me."

" _Do you have any idea how worried I've been about the two of you?"_

"I'm sorry, Kol. Damon's car broke down. We're stuck in a little town in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains. No cell signal," Elena explains.

" _You're okay though?"_

"Yeah, we're okay, Kol. But Damon and I are as far apart as ever. I think I'm going to have the lawyer get the papers ready."

 _"Elena!? Do you love him?"_

"You know I do, Kol. But I can't live like this."

 _"Have you really talked to him, Elena? Maybe he doesn't want to live like this either? You know that I'll always choose you but he's my friend too, Elena. I don't want to see him get hurt. I know he loves you too."_

"If he loved me, why would he be cavorting around with that brunette?" Elena muses, her mind suddenly launching her back in time.

 _Wanting to surprise her husband, a nervous Elena packs a picnic basket including a red checkered tablecloth, a bottle of wine and some white chocolate covered gourmet strawberries. Things haven't been good between the two of them. They have spent so much time apart that she hardly knows which way is up any more as far as their marriage goes. Hoping to rekindle the magic with a romantic lunch in his office, the door locked of course, Elena walks into her husband's bar. There are a lot of people blocking her view but she does catch a glimpse of his messy black hair. Smiling giddily, she excuses herself to get through the crowd. But as soon as it parts, giving Elena a clear line of view, her heart drops into her stomach. Damon is leaning over the bar whispering in a woman's ear. They're both smiling and laughing as if they didn't have a care in the world. Suddenly feeling like she's intruding and because she doesn't want Damon to see her, nor her tears, Elena quickly turns around. Just as she reaches the exit, she hears her name at the same time she feels his hand latch onto her upper arm._

 _"Elena, what are you doing here?"_

 _"I came to surprise you but I guess it was me who got the surprise," she snaps, glaring at him. Although she knows her eyes are shiny with moisture, she's not about to let any tears fall, not here, not now._

 _"What Meredith? She's just a friend, Elena."_

 _"A very good one from my vantage point."_

 _"Oh come on, Elena. I love you. You know that I'd never cheat on you."_

 _"Do I?" Elena asks, forcing a mask of indifference on her face._

 _"I've known her a lot longer than I've known you. If I wanted to be with her, I would," Damon snips, having lost patience with her attitude._

 _"I'm going home. You and your buxom friend over there can sleep in your office," Elena seethes, giving him one last stare before ripping her arm out of his hand, leaving Damon to wonder what the hell that just was._

"I saw him Kol. He was flirting shamelessly with that woman."

" _Elena, he doesn't care for Meredith. He told me that they used to have a friends with benefits type relationship but that all ended the moment he picked you. If you don't trust him, you might as well get the papers drawn up."_

"We haven't lived together for the last couple of months. How do I know what he's doing?"

" _Elena, Damon wouldn't cheat on you. Please believe me on that. And just talk to each other. Listen, I have to go. How can I reach you?"_

When she hears Kol's voice again, Elena puts the phone back to her ear.

" _Elena, you know that you'll always be my priority but I know Damon too. Yes, he is a flirty guy sometimes but he has never and would never cheat on you?"_

"How do you know?"

 _"You know it's true, Elena. I get that you two hadn't been spending any time together and that alone put a tremendous strain on your marriage. Then you showed up only to see him flirting but sweetheart, you know as well as I do that nothing would have happened. Both of you share some responsibility in the state of the marriage."_

"Yeah well, he hadn't flirted like that with me for a long time," Elena mumbles under her breath. Not wanting to hear anymore, she gives him Sheila's phone number and tells him she'll be in touch before hanging up the phone. Staring at it, her reverie is broken when she hears the doorknob rattling. "Elena, let me in," Damon demands. Blowing out a breath of air, Elena unlocks the door then steps aside so he can come inside.

"Why did you lock it?"

"I wanted to talk to Kol in private."

"Why..., so you could talk more about divorcing me?"

Rather than fight, Elena changes the topic. "Have you heard anymore from Gus?"

"As a matter of fact, I was at his shop. We'll be stuck here a few more days. Do you want me to talk to your parents?"

"Oh yeah, that'll work. Mom will just lambaste me that much harder when I talk to her the next time."

"I can't win with you can I? No matter what I do or say, you find fault with it."

"Don't act like you're the aggrieved party here, Damon. It wasn't me that was acting all flirty and cavorting with an old benefit sharing friend!"

"I told you that nothing happened between Meredith and me. We've both been with cheaters, Elena. You know full well that I would never do that. But you jumped to a conclusion just like you always do."

"You happened, that's what," she snaps, immediately regretting her outburst. "Damon, I... I didn't..."

"Oh you meant it alright. As soon as we get home, I'll sign the damn divorce papers. Then you'll never have to think about me again," Damon adds, staring at her. Although the moment seems to freeze in time, the next moment, Damon leaves the room, slamming the door shut so hard, the pictures on the walls clamor. Scrunching her face up, Elena drops onto the floor beside the bed, buries her face in her hands and cries. Her whole body is overcome with grief knowing that she has very likely lost the only man that she has ever loved.

* * *

Knowing that Bonnie and Sheila are expecting her to have supper with them and their guest, Elena gets up off of the floor, strips out of her clothes. Looking under the sink once more, this time she pulls out a gingerbread man scented bath gel. Taking a big whiff, Elena closes her eyes because it smells so good. Taking it with her, she steps into the shower, squirts some on a scrunchy then washes her body. Letting the hot water pummel her body the gingerbread aroma fill her senses, Elena can literally feel some of the stress melt away. Knowing that she and Damon need to have a serious talk about the state of their marriage, Elena decides that she will talk to him once they turn in for the night. With her mind made up, she turns off the faucet. Stepping out of the shower, Elena quickly dries herself off and throws her hair up in a messy bun. She slips on a clean pair of jeans and one of Damon's button down shirt.

Not one to sulk in her bathwater, Elena goes downstairs to join the rest of the group. Hearing laughter, Elena follows it, surprising Damon when she sits down beside him on the couch.

"Matt, this is Elena," Bonnie says, introducing them. Matt stands up and walks over to shake her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Elena. Bonnie says that you play a mean piano and that Johnny is already crushing on you."

"Johnny?" Damon asks, raising an eyebrow at her.

"He's five, Damon," Elena giggles, smiling at Bonnie.

"You played piano? You haven't done that in ages," Damon mentions, a little surprised. He used to love to hear her play but when things started to go bad between them, the piano sat silent, collecting dust.

"I did. I enjoyed it a lot. Bonnie is going to take me with her again tomorrow. The children are so excited for their program."

"Elena, Bonnie tells me that you have a beautiful singing voice," Sheila mentions, smiling knowingly first at Bonnie and then Elena.

"Not really. I just got caught up in the festivities."

"Don't sell yourself short, Elena," Damon adds.

"Let's eat. I'm anxious to try Damon's homemade beef stew," Sheila announces. Standing up, she motions for everyone to follow her to the kitchen.

* * *

After Matt leaves, Elena goes upstairs to get ready for bed. Not wanting to fight with her anymore, Damon helps Sheila do the dishes and put things away. With so much on his mind, he doesn't say much which alerts Sheila that something is wrong.

"Do you want to talk about it? I'm a good listener."

"Oh Sheila, I love Elena so much but we've been separated, not legally, but separated nonetheless for the last three months. I don't know what happened to us. I really don't. We were doing well so I opened a second bar, this one in Laughlin, Nevada which is about a hundred miles from Vegas I suppose. It's right on the Colorado River. About the same time, Elena sold her book and went on tour. We hardly saw each other for months. When we did spend time together, it was contentious at best. I know that I don't want a divorce but I know that she has spoken to an attorney. I just wish I knew how to fix things between us before we lose it all."

"That girl upstairs loves you very much too. I think maybe you two need to rethink your priorities. It seems you put your business first and she put her book first. Does that sound about right?"

"I want to be able to give her everything and with my main location a success, I wanted to jump on the opportunity. I don't know, maybe if I hired more help? But if she's already made up her mind, I need something to keep me busy so I don't have to constantly think about who and what I lost."

"You haven't lost her yet, Damon. Go on now, go upstairs and talk to your wife. Christmas is a magical time of the year. You never know what might happen," Sheila tells him, giving him a knowing look.

"Would it be too much to ask for you to give me a hug for good luck?"

"Not at all, come here." Opening her arms, Damon closes the distance, letting her embrace him. It reminds him of his mother's hugs before she died. Not wanting to let go, Damon squeezes back for a few seconds, finally letting go when she teases that she needs some air. After giving her a kiss on the cheek, Damon tells her goodnight and that he'll help her fill the kids Santa sacks in the morning. Although filled with hope only moments ago, with each step Damon takes up the stairs, the butterflies flutter even more wildly in his belly.

* * *

As soon as Damon steps in their room, he sees that Elena has the phone in one hand while resting her forehead on her other one. Wit her obvious tension, Damon easily deduces that she's on the phone with her parents. When she looks up, he gives her a tight smile and points to the bathroom. When she nods, Damon grabs his pajamas and hurries inside. Pushing the door closed, he looks out of the bathroom window. The lawn and trees are still beautiful, this time it's the full moon that illuminates the landscape. The glimmering snow makes it look eerily bright yet beautiful all the same. The stars are twinkling in the sky. Because of all the lights in Vegas, the night sky is prettier when they're away from the city. Letting the curtain fall closed, Damon turns on the water faucet to fill the tub. Grabbing that cinnamon roll bath stuff that Elena mentioned, Damon pours several capfuls under the running water. Sighing, he strips out of his clothes and crawls in, letting the warm water and delicious cinnamon scent help him escape for a few minutes.

Fatigued and nearly falling asleep, Damon lurches upright when he hears a rap on the bathroom door before it opens with a creek. Opening his eyes, Damon turns his head to look at her.

"I have to pee. I'm sorry, I can't wait," Elena says, sitting down. "Plug your ears."

"Why are you so embarrassed to pee in front of me?"

"I just am, please?"

"Sure," Damon agrees, closing his eyes and sticking his fingers in his ears. When he hears the sound of flushing, he opens them just as Elena is pulling up her pajama bottoms. "Are you okay?"

"I talked to my father. I told him that I didn't know if we'd make it for Christmas or not. And of course, he let me know how I always disappoint him and mother," Elena burbles, wiping her eyes. Closing the lid on the toilet, Elena sits down, dropping her chin to her chest. Without even thinking about it, Damon jumps out of the tub. Kneeling in front of her in all of his naked glory and wetness, Damon wraps her in his arms, letting her cry it out.

"You're getting me all wet," Elena giggles surprising both herself and Damon. Leaning back on his haunches, he raises her chin with his hand. "Look Elena, I know that they're your parents but you don't need to take their bullshit anymore. What happened to you? When we got married, you didn't let them browbeat you like this. What happened to my warrior princess, my Joan of Arc?"

"Honestly, Damon. I didn't fully realize that I had until this little adventure of ours. I had you and I felt so confident in myself that perhaps maybe I could let them in again and for what? They're as bad as they've always been. My father said that I should've insisted that you drive the 'beaten path' as it were. If you would've left when we were supposed to, we would've been there days ago already."

"Yeah, I know your folks don't like me very much." Blowing out a breath, Damon stands up and gets back into the bathtub.

"If it makes you feel any better, they're not real fond of Kol either."

"I guess I'm in good company then," Damon jokes, laying back again and closing his eyes.

"Goodnight, Damon," Elena says, getting up and leaving him to the peace and tranquility of his bathwater. Laying quietly another twenty minutes or so, Damon gets out of the water, dries himself off and then slips into his Santa patterned pajama pants. 'Here goes nothing', he thinks to himself when he walks into the bedroom. Pausing long enough to put some more logs on the fire, Damon then crawls into bed. Just as he's about to turn away from Elena, she lifts his arm around her and snuggles in close. Not wanting to break whatever spell has been cast on her, Damon shifts, pulling her closer still. After dropping a kiss to the crown of her head, Damon closes his eyes and joins his wife in slumber.

* * *

The next morning, Damon slowly opens one eye and then the next. Although realistically he knows that they really haven't solved anything, it felt so good to hold his wife in his arms once more. Wanting to touch her, he gingerly reaches over to her side of the bed, finding the sheets cold and empty. Lurching upright, Damon drops his chin to his chest. He had really hoped she'd be up for a conversation that they desperately need to have if there's to be any hope of saving their marriage. Knowing that Sheila is counting on him to help fill the treat bags, Damon drags himself out of bed and into the bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror, he rubs his hand on his chin. Not wanting to take the time to shave, Damon just washes his face. Elena always did say that she thought his stubble was rather hot. Once he's dressed, he goes downstairs, the smell of blueberry muffins fills the air. Taking a deep whiff, Damon starts to salivate. Sheila is one hell of cook.

"Good morning, Sheila. I'm sorry I over slept."

"You obviously needed the rest. Have a muffin or two," she says, giving him a wink as she hands him a cup full of hot coffee. Picking up one of the muffins, Damon sets it on his plate. Taking a bite, Damon savors the delicious flavors of blueberry and vanilla and the surprisingly creamy texture.

"Wow, these practically melt in my mouth, Sheila," Damon mumbles, taking another bite.

"I'm glad you like them. Have another," she starts to say, pausing when the doorbell rings. "That's a couple of my friends. They're here to help with the bags and Santa's suit needs a little repair too." With his mouth full of muffin, Damon can only nod. By the time Sheila is back with two ladies that look to be her age, Damon is just finishing off his cup of coffee.

"Damon, these are my friends, Rosie," Sheila says, allowing Damon to shake her hand and tell her it's a pleasure to meet her. "And this is Liz. She's actually our chief of police."

"Day off," Damon laughs, offering his hand.

"It is unless something comes up. I usually always have to let my officers know where I'll be in case anything comes up. Fortunately, our little berg here isn't a hot bed of crime. Occasionally, we have a fatal traffic accident or petty theft, that kind of thing."

"I really like your little town," Damon tells her, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

"Ladies, I have the peanuts and other things set out on the long table. I'm going to run into town. George called to tell me that the turkey I ordered for the Christmas dinner is in at the butcher shop. Oh and before I leave, there are some treats set aside along with a list of their names for the children with peanut allergies," Sheila mentions, picking up her purse and grabbing her car keys off of the key holder.

"I trust you ladies can keep Damon entertained," she asks, giving Damon a wink.

"I'm sure they will, Sheila," Damon laughs, setting his now empty coffee mug in the sink. Sheila turns around after pulling open the door, "I won't be gone long." Once she's gone, Damon turns to the ladies, "Shall we?" Nodding the three of them disappear into the formal dining room to start putting Santa bags together.

* * *

With a plan forming in her mind, Sheila pulls out of the driveway and drives straight to Gus's body shop. After parking the car, Sheila walks in. With the bell signaling that he has a customer, Gus wipes the grease off of his hands, then walks into the customer area of his shop.

"Sheila, hello," Gus tells her, throwing away the paper towel in his hand. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"I don't have time for one. I left Damon behind with Liz and Rosie plus I need to run to see George at the butcher shop. The reason I stopped is because I want to talk to you about something."

"Sure, how can I help you?" Gus asks, motioning for Sheila to have a seat. Because his chair has wheels on it, Gus rolls the chair over to Sheila.

"It's Damon and Elena. They're having problems, Gus."

"That's too bad."

"I have an idea or two but I need your help."

"Of course, count me in. They're good people," Gus adds, covering his mouth quickly when he sneezes.

"Bless you, and yes, they are good people," Sheila agrees.

"So my friend, what did you have in mind?"

"I want you to find some reason to bug out of playing Santa Claus this year. I see that you have a cold. There's your reason right there."

"But Sheila, I love playing Santa," Gus pouts, wiping his runny nose. Looking around Gus's shop, she sees pictures of him as Santa with a whole parcel of little children surrounding him. Pressing her hand on his knee, Sheila gives him a smile. "I know you do, Gus. But we have a chance to help them help themselves. What do you say?"

"Only for you, Shiela, only for you," Gus agrees, a smile forming on his own face.

"Thank you so much, Gus." When they both stand up, Sheila gives him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You're a good man." After sealing the deal with a handshake, Sheila leaves to go to the butcher shop, her heart light and her mind a buzz. Somehow she has to make Damon volunteer to fill in for Gus without much if any prodding from her. Stepping into the butcher shop, Sheila gets in line and waits her turn to speak with George.

* * *

Although she continues to play the piano as the children are belting out Rudolph, Elena glances at the huge clock on the gym wall. It's nearly four in the afternoon already. Her suspicions about this being the last song are confirmed when she sees a bunch of parents coming filling the gym floor. They're obviously here to pick up their children. With her fingers dancing on the keyboard, Elena starts singing along with the children.

" _.. Then all the reindeer loved him, as they shouted out with glee, Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer, You'll go down in history.."_

After a stylish riff on the piano keys, Elena and the children finish the song.

"Mommy, did you hear me?" Johnny squeals, running towards a pregnant red- haired woman. "This is my mama," he tells Elena, pointing to the lady who's now talking to Bonnie. Elena looks up at the same time the woman looks at her. "It's nice to meet you, Elena, I'm Lauren." Extending her hand, she adds, "Johnny hasn't stopped talking about you."

"He's a great kid," Elena agrees, dropping her eyes to the little boy.

"Yes he is but I'm a little biased," the lady laughs.

"It looks like Johnny is going to be a big brother. When are you due?"

"Not until February. This one is beyond excited aren't you?"

"Yes mama, can we go home now?" After telling Bonnie and Elena goodbye, Lauren takes Johnny's hand, leaving the two women to clean up before going back to Sheila's place.

* * *

"So what do you do for fun around here?" Damon asks Liz as he pours some peanuts in a bag then hands it to Rosie to add the M&M's and Liz adds the gum drops.

"It would be nice if there was a place for our young people to go. You know, a place with video games or a bowling alley or something so they could keep busy here. But the closest movie theatre is about twenty miles away. There is the athletic field at the school so they can play baseball and football but there isn't much else. We've been having fundraisers for a couple of years now to finance a swimming pool for the kids."

"Are you going to have another one this coming summer?"

"Yes, we've reached our original goal but then the builder raised the costs so we're stuck another summer without the pool," Liz adds.

"Perhaps, I can help you out there. I'd love to give you a donation. I'll give you my phone number before you leave. I could mail you a check when Elena and I get back to Las Vegas."

"Damon, that would be wonderful," Rosie says, her voice giddy with excitement. It's then that Sheila walks inside followed by Bonnie, Elena behind her but unseen by her husband. Although she only watches him for a few seconds, she can see how Damon has the ladies eating out of his hand. The man could charm the scales of a Cobra, she thinks to herself. Even though the rational side of her knows that the flirting is a just a Damon thing, it still irritates, not because he's flirting with the ladies but because he hasn't shown that side of himself to her in a very long time. Rather than appear petty, Elena hurries upstairs and into their room. Hoping that he didn't see her, Elena goes into the bathroom to freshen up. She relaxes considerably when he doesn't join her in their room.

When the phone rings, Sheila excuses herself to answer it. Moments later she motions for Damon to come into the other room. "The man says that he's Grayson Gilbert and that he'd like to speak to Elena," Sheila explains. Looking up just then, Damon sees Elena coming down the stairs. When their eyes meet, Damon points to the phone, mouthing that it's her dad. Shaking her head back and forth, Elena runs back upstairs, slamming the bedroom door closed. Having no other choice, Damon says, "Grayson?"

 _"Where in the hell are you? Christmas Eve is the day after tomorrow. Why aren't you here yet?"_

"Look Gray, our car will be ready tomorrow. We should be there on the twenty fourth unless we run into more bad weather.

" _Elena is going to England on the twenty ninth, how are you going to get back to Vegas in time for her flight at the rate you're going?"_

Speechless because he had no idea that she was leaving again, Damon tunes out after that. Rather than listen to the man carp on some more, he hangs up the phone. Feeling like he's had the wind knocked out of him, Damon turns, only then noticing Sheila.

"Supper is ready. Why don't you get Elena and come back down?"

"I'll be down shortly, Sheila," Damon says, putting one foot in front of the other, the steps creaking with each step he takes up the long staircase. Pausing at the top of the stairs for a moment, Damon takes a breath, walks to the blue room and steps inside. Elena is standing at the glass doors, staring outside, her focus on nothing in particular. "Were you even going to tell me or were you just going to pack you things and disappear without so much as a goodbye?" Damon snaps, angrier at her than he's ever been.

"Tell you what?" Confused and not knowing what he's referring to, Elena meets his gaze head on.

"Your father just told me that you're going to England after Christmas. You told them and you couldn't tell me. I don't even know who you are anymore, Elena? My God, what happened that we can't even talk to each other? That night at the shark aquarium, you opened up to me, a complete stranger. And now that I'm your husband, you won't talk to me. Did you plan to have Kol tell me of the 'where in the world is Elena Salvatore' game?"

"That's our problem, Damon. We don't talk to each other. We don't spend time with each other. Maybe it's best that we end things before we end up hating each other. Believe it or not, Damon... I don't want to hate you, I could never hate you. But we can't live like this anymore," Elena says, her voice now full of melancholy. Without doubt, Elena knows that she loves him with every fiber of her being. Rather than see him so miserable all the time, she's willing to be the bad guy here. Above all his happiness is paramount to her. Although she can literally feel the pieces of her heart shattering and her gut twisting painfully so, Elena knows it's for the best because she doesn't want to make him even more unhappy.

Not wanting to talk about it anymore, Elena reaches up to wipe the tears from her eyes. Turning to stare outside, she focuses her attention on one perfectly shaped pine tree, imagining it decked out with lights and Christmas finery. Taking a breath, Elena swallows past the lump in her throat and then turns to face him again. "Did you hear anything from Gus about when we can leave?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. We can pack our things up tonight. The car will be ready tomorrow. I'll drive you to Durham and catch a flight back to Vegas. You can have the car since you don't like to fly," Damon mentions, his voice indifferent although he's breaking on the inside. With his back to her, he says that supper is ready before leaving Elena alone to compose herself.

* * *

After eating, Damon says goodnight and then excuses himself. Falling face down on the bed, Damon finally lets his tears fall. He still loves Elena so very much and the last thing he wants is a divorce but from his point of view, she's already made up her mind. Not wanting her to see him cry, Damon gets up and goes into the bathroom. After showering and changing into his pajamas, Damon packs his belongings. When he done, he leaves the suitcase unzipped so he can put his pajamas in it tomorrow morning. When he finishes, he picks up the phone. Sucking on his lower lip, Damon dials Kol. Walking over to the window, Damon stares at the starlit sky. There are a few clouds obscuring the moon right now but the stars are twinkling beautifully, again making the snow packed ground look like a winter paradise.

" _Hello?"_

"Did you know?"

 _"Damon, hi. Did I know what?"_

"Did you know that she was going overseas?"

" _Damon, don't put me in this position. And yes, I knew. I told her to tell you."_

"I don't want a divorce, Kol, but she all but said that we're over.

 _"Damon, you're my friend. Please, please don't throw in the towel. I know you love her, I know she loves you. You two can still have a great life but you need to decide what's more important, your marriage or your careers?"_

 _"_ She's more important to me, Kol. But she's made up her mind."

 _"The man that I came to know and admire isn't a quitter. Listen, Damon, I have to go, the bar is getting crowded. Please just think about what I said."_

"We'll see. Goodbye, Kol," Damon whispers, clicking the off button on Sheila's phone. Turning to look out of the window once more, Damon sees a shooting star dart across the night sky. Wanting more than anything for his wish to come true, Damon hangs up the phone, crawls into bed and lets the fatigue he feels pull him into a restless sleep.

* * *

Not wanting to face Damon, Elena stays downstairs for quite some time to visit with Sheila and Bonnie. The three women exchange phone numbers and address because she promised that she'd send them each an autographed copy of her book. Knowing that Elena needs to talk, Sheila uses her eyes to signal Bonnie to leave the two of them alone. Nodding at her grams, Bonnie explains that she's going to call Matt and tell him goodnight. Once she disappears, Sheila gets up to pour each of them a drink. Picking up the tumbler of bourbon, Sheila hands it to Elena and then sits down beside her on the couch.

"Talk," Sheila says, her gaze focused firmly on Elena.

"I'm scheduled to go to England on the twenty ninth. There's talk of making my book into a movie. I didn't tell Damon about it."

"Elena, why would you not tell him that? Surely he'd miss you."

"We're separated, have been for about three months. And worse still, when we are together, it always devolves into a fight."

"Do you love Damon?"

"Yes, of course I love him. I fell in love with him almost immediately. I don't know how we drifted so far apart, Sheila. I sold my book and went on a long tour. Then he opened the second location for his bar. One thing led to the next and we'd go weeks without seeing each other. I'm not placing the blame on him alone. I'm just as guilty as he is. I just wish I knew how to fix it."

"Have you two ever considered giving up the second bar or asking someone he trusts to run it so he can be around for you? And you could tell your publisher that you'll only go for one weekend a month or some such thing."

"I never really gave it much thought, Sheila. But if there's even the slightest chance of saving our marriage, I'll have to. Despite everything, I don't want a divorce." Yawning, Elena swallows what's left in the glass. "I'm going to turn in. We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow. I'm going to miss you and Bonnie and this place so much and I know Damon will too. Not counting our spats, this place has been an amazing respite for both of us. Would you please give little Johnny a hug for me after their program tomorrow evening?" Elena asks, standing up. Sheila gives her a hug and tells her that she will then sends Elena to bed.

With Damon already asleep, Elena tiptoes into the bathroom, opting to take a shower in the morning instead, she quickly slips into her pajamas. Crawling into bed as softly as possible so as not to wake him, she drops the wispiest of kisses to his shoulder and then his cheek before laying back down. Fighting with Damon is so exhausting. Dropping her head onto the pillow, Elena closes her eyes, letting the sound of the gusting wind lull her to sleep.

* * *

After an uneasy sleep, Damon gets up the next morning. His mind and his heart are full of melancholy. He doesn't want to leave this magical little place. It's been a godsend to him to be able to put his troubles aside even if it was only for a few hours at a time. He loves Sheila like a mother and thinks the world of Bonnie as well. And he is very much in love with the exasperating woman who's still asleep in the bed. Quietly he dresses then zips up his suitcase. Before going downstairs, Damon jots down a note that he's going with Sheila to get their car and that she should be ready to leave when he gets back. Very quietly, he sneaks out of the room. Jogging down the stairs, he goes directly to the kitchen, finding Sheila staring out of the window above the sink.

"Good morning, Sheila," Damon says. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he takes a swallow then steps beside to see what she's looking at.

"What are we looking at?"

"The sky looks like it could snow again."

"Do you get a lot of snow in the winter here?"

"Yes. Situated here in the mountains, sometimes we get pummeled with snow, other winters not so much. Are you ready to go to get your car?" She asks, rinsing out her coffee cup.

"Sadly, yes, Sheila."

"Grab your coat and we'll go." Walking out of the kitchen, she comes back moments later with her purse in her hand. Dropping it on the table top, she walks onto the porch, taking her coat off of the hook. Slipping into it, she hurries Damon along. Once in the car, Sheila drives slowly, letting Damon have one more look at the town in case her plan with Gus doesn't work. Parking her car along the curb, Sheila and Damon go inside. She doesn't miss how Damon's shoulders are slumped and how quiet he's been since they left her home. Certain that he'd jump at any reason to stay here a little bit longer, Sheila can only hope he'll take the bait. Stepping inside, the first thing Damon hears is a cacophony of loud sneezes. Although the bell above the door announces their arrival, Gus is seated at the cashier's desk. Looking up, it's quite obvious to both Damon and Sheila that Gus is ill.

"You look like hell," Sheila mentions, pressing her palm to his cheek. "You have a fever too. Why aren't you home in bed?"

"Someone has to run the place," Gus starts to say, another sneeze interrupting him.

"Oh my gosh, Gus. The program is tonight. You can't be the Santa if you're sick."

"I have to, Mike is out of town till after the first of the year," Gus laments, blowing his nose again.

"I guess there will be no Santa this year. The children will be so disappointed," Sheila sniffs, her eyes darting from Gus to Damon.

"But Sheila, I can do it. I just won't breathe," Gus mumbles, a sad look on his face. Listening to the back and forth between Sheila and Gus, it suddenly dawns on him that neither he nor he's certain Elena would want the children to have a year without Santa. Without even realizing it, the words are blurting out of his mouth, "I can be Santa."

* * *

 _Thank you so much and big hugs, Eva. I love you more than I can say._

 _And also a big thanks to all of you. I appreciate your support. And as I've said, as much as I have enjoyed writing Delena stories, you are all the reason that I'm still here._

 _Chapter title: 'Christmases When You Were Mine' by Taylor Swift._

 _'Nothing Left to Fear' is about to end. I did post a double update of 'Turn the Page' yesterday. I would love to hear your thoughts on those as well._

 _My good friend Morvamp posted a one shot continuation of 'Claiming Hearts and Spaces'. It's called CH &S: The Satisfaction in Sin'. Do check it out. She's a very gifted writer and one of the nicest people I've met through this fandom. _

_11,077 words before this author's note is hopefully enough to earn a review? They are very much appreciated._

 _Please be safe and have a lovely day. Love each other._


	4. All I Want For Christmas Is You

_"I can be Santa."_

"What did you just say?" Gus asks, turning away to cover his mouth when he sneezes again. Gus looks up, noticing how Sheila is winking at him, unseen by Damon.

"Uh.. I said that I could be Santa."

"But I thought that you and your wife needed to leave?"

"Well... it's probably our fault that you got sick. You went out in the bad weather to tow our car. And on top of that, neither Elena and I are really looking forward to spending a miserable holiday with her parents. And I'm pretty certain that Elena would like nothing more than to see the program. Do you think you could put up with us for another day, Sheila?" Damon asks, turning around to eye the woman who has a mischievous grin on her face.

"Need you even ask, Damon? Come, we have to get you home to try on the costume. As sleek as you are, we'll need to stuff it pretty full," Sheila laughs, smirking at Gus.

"My car, how much do I owe you, Gus? I guess I can drive it back to Sheila's house. Do you take a credit card?"

"We're not that backwoods here, Damon," Gus laughs, thumbing through the invoices to pull Damon's bill out. After ringing it up, Damon pays the man. Shaking Gus's hand vigorously, Damon thanks him for everything. Just as Damon and Sheila start to walk outside, Liz walks in, clad in her police uniform.

"Bonnie told me you were here. We have a big problem."

"What is it, Liz?" Gus asks, walking out from behind the counter to stand beside Sheila and Damon.

"Someone broke into the school last night. All the treat bags are gone. I already stopped at the grocery store. They're out of peanuts and candies. Their delivery truck doesn't come again till after Christmas. What are we going to do?"

"Is there a town close by that we could run into another store and buy things? What time is the program?" Damon asks, nervously bouncing from one foot to the other.

"It's scheduled for seven thirty this evening." Glancing at his watch, Damon adds, "It's only nine am. I mean, some brands make the Christmas-themed baggies. Couldn't we get some of those and some candies? Would some of your friends come over to help us, Sheila?"

"I'll send Gracie over," Gus adds.

"We'll have to run by the house and tell Bonnie and Elena what's going on and then you and I will go on a quick road trip for supplies. You with me, Sheila?"

"I am indeed, Damon." Turning to Liz, she continues, "Can you call some of the ladies to meet us at the house around noon?"

"I'm on it," Liz says, hurrying out of Gus's shop. With a plan in order, Damon and Sheila say goodbye to Gus, jump into their cars and hurry back to the boarding house.

* * *

As soon as Damon and Sheila arrive at the house, Damon parks the car and runs inside as if the devil himself were chasing him. Seeing only Bonnie, he blurts out, "Where's Elena? I need to find Elena now."

"The last time I saw her she was in the game room."

"Thanks Bonnie." Turning on his heals, he bounds out of the kitchen in a frenzied search for her. With his adrenaline level spiking, Damon nearly runs past the room. Lurching to a stop, he grabs the knob and runs inside. Although his insides are churning, not knowing how Elena will react, he can't help but feel excited about the prospect of staying in this magical town a little bit longer. Not finding her, Damon runs out and into the hall. When his anxiety gets the best of him, Damon blurts out, "Elena, where are you?" Hearing footsteps, he runs back inside, relieved when he finally sees her. She's staring into the aquarium with one of her palms pressed against the glass. When she hears the frantic tone of his voice, she turns around to face him.

"Damon, what is it? What's wrong? Is the car not done?"

"No, nothing like that. There was a robbery and someone stole all the children's gift bags. Sheila and I are going to run over to the next town to get more supplies. And Gus is sick so I'm going to fill in as Santa for the program." Damon is talking so fast, stringing the words together that Elena has to pause a minute to let what he said sink in.

"Wait? What? Slow down, you're talking a mile a minute."

By the time he repeats everything he said, a look of unease and uncertainty wash over her face. Immediately his stomach erupts in butterflies because he doesn't know if this is okay with her. Staring at him for a moment, she turns her attention back to the aquarium, staring at a Blue Damsel fish as it swims in front of the glass. Seconds pass like hours as Damon waits for her to say something, anything.

So we're not leaving?" she asks, her voice tentative.

"I guess I just got so caught up in everything that I didn't think to discuss it with you first. I mean, we can leave if you want..., but then all the children will be disappointed that there's no Santa. But if you want to leave, we'll go. And if we stay, I'll call your parents if you want me to?"

"No, I'll deal with them," Elena starts to say, halting when she sees Sheila standing in the doorway. "Are you ready to go, Damon?"

"Yeah, I was just telling Elena what's going on. Before we go anywhere, Sheila, I need to know if it's alright with my wife."

"Why would anyone steal children's treat bags? It's not like there's any value to them." Elena asks, her eyes darting between Sheila and her husband.

"We don't have much of a crime problem in this town but once in awhile something stupid like this happens." Turning to Damon, she repeats that they need to get going so they can be back by the time the others arrive to help but the bags together again.

"Is this okay with you?" Damon asks, his eyes a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. Elena can see how excited he is to help out this little town that time forgot.

"Yes, of course it is. I don't want to disappoint little Johnny anymore than I want to disappoint you. I haven't seen you this excited about anything in ages Damon."

"Thank you," he blurts out, spontaneously cupping the back of her head, he threads his hands into her hair and takes her lips in a hard kiss. A kiss that causes her toes to curl. Letting go with a wet plopping sound, Damon stares into her eyes for a long moment searching for something. When he finds it, a hint of smile begins to grace his beautiful face. "We'll talk later, okay, Elena?"

"Yes, I want that too. But go now, we have much to do," Elena adds, surprising Damon when she plants a quick kiss to his cheek. A look of wonderment washes over him because she too looks so happy in this moment. Taking her hand, he gives it a squeeze when their eyes meet. Nodding, Damon lets go and follows Sheila down the stairs, the two of them jumping back in her car to complete their mission.

* * *

Fortunately the stores in the larger town still had lots of Christmas candy filling their shelves. Although they had no luck finding peanuts, Sheila and Damon bought a big parcel of apples. After loading everything in trunk, they hurry back to the boarding house. As soon as Sheila pulls into the driveway, Damon jumps out, barely waiting till she stops the car. Waiting impatiently for her to open the trunk, Damon grabs as many bags as he can to carry into the house. Sheila grabs a few but keeps an arm free, using it to open the door for Damon. Once in the house, Damon goes to the formal dining room that has the big long table. Dropping the bags onto the center of it, the assembled ladies start taking everything out of the bags. Damon can't help but smile at Elena when she grabs the packages of Christmas themed baggies, opens the box and spreads them out so everyone can get busy. Damon runs back to the car to get the last of the candy, shuts the trunk and goes back inside, taking a seat beside Sheila.

"Damon, you already know Rose and Liz. Pointing out each of the ladies and introducing them, Damon tells them how happy he and Elena are to meet them and gives each one by name a profound, heartfelt thanks.

"Sheila, do you mind making a pot of coffee?" the lady named Annabelle asks, not looking up from what she's doing.

"I will indeed," Sheila agrees, walking out of the room towards the kitchen. Liz excuses herself to help Sheila. As soon as they're out of ear shot, Liz whispers, "What are we going to do with the old Santa sacks?"

"Ssshh, we can't let them hear," Sheila mouths, pulling Liz outside for a moment. "Tomorrow we'll donate them to the orphanage in Plattsburg."

"Great idea. We better get back inside before they suspect," Liz remarks, giving Sheila a light hug. After brewing a pot of coffee, Sheila and Liz take a seat and help with the sacks. Even though it's a small town, their are several families with little children. Sheila couldn't be happier that more younger people are moving into the little town. While the group is working, Sheila grabs Damon so he can try on the Santa suit to see if any adjustments need to be made. Shaking his head, Damon takes the suit from her then goes into the bathroom to try it on. When he looks at himself in the mirror, he has to laugh. Never did he dream that he'd get so caught in something like this. After putting on the beard and hat, he steps out, saying, "ho, ho, ho," in as deep a voice as he can.

Elena happens to walk out at just that moment. Unable to stop the smile forming on her face, she walks over to him to adjust his mustache and beard. "I've never seen you look better," she teases. Although there's no cellphone signal, it's a habit that Elena keeps it on her person. Pulling it out of her pocket, she snaps a couple of pictures. "These will make great blackmail material someday."

"You wouldn't," Damon blurts out, his mouth agape.

"Oh I would," she teases, posting it on her facebook page.

"Elena?"

"Stop, you look great. And I'm proud of you." Moved forward by some unknown force, Elena walks over to him, pulls the beard down and presses her lips to his.

* * *

Having excused herself to call her parents, Elena tells her father in no uncertain terms that she will not allow them to browbeat and make her feel inferior anymore. If she and Damon are to have any chance of putting their marriage back together and aside from the communication issue, Elena knows that she needs to distance herself from them again. That was the reason she and Kol packed up and moved to Las Vegas in the first place. With a renewed determination, Elena is unwilling to let her parents put a damper on her good mood.

When she rejoins the group, Damon is carrying the boxes of Santa bags outside to Sheila's car. Glancing at the time, she sees it's nearing four in the afternoon already. Since they're finished with their task, the ladies are enjoying coffee and some of Damon's homemade cookies. Knowing that he's an amazing cook, Elena decides to indulge. Her mouth waters when she takes a bite, the flavors of butter and sugar and vanilla erupting on her tongue. Enjoying the tasty goodness so much, Elena barely notices when Damon drops into the chair beside her, reaching for a cookie himself. Swallowing it down with a swallow of coffee, Damon asks what time they need to leave to go to the school.

"We'll need to leave pretty soon actually. Don't you think Bonnie?"

"I think so grams, we need to set up the chair and stuff so the kiddies can take their turns with Santa Damon. Matt is an amateur photographer so he'll be taking the kids pictures when they sit on your lap," Bonnie adds, stealing one more cookie.

"What did I get myself into?" Damon laughs, a bright smile on his face.

"You'll love it and you know it. I can't wait to see how cute little Johnny will be in his suit and tie," Elena adds, looking at Bonnie who nods.

When everyone is finished eating, Damon helps Sheila clean off the table and put the cookies away. Opening the refrigerator door, he sees a huge turkey. Since turkey is one of his favorite things, Damon licks his lips, imagining how good the roast meat will taste.

"As long as you're skipping out on Christmas with your in-laws, you're welcome to spend it with me and Bonnie if you want," Sheila casually mentions, their eyes meeting at the same time.

"Do you mean it, Sheila? I'd hate to intrude."

"Would you stop? Of course, you're not intruding. You and Elena are family now. Both of us have thoroughly enjoyed having the two of you stay with us.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's a big yes but I need to talk it over with her. If we're to have any hope of changing things, we need to learn to communicate with each other."

"You're right. Now go on, we have to get over to the school," Sheila tells him, putting the final coffee cup in the drying rack. Damon finds Bonnie and Elena already in their coats when he walks out of the kitchen. "I just need to get mine," he tells them, running up the stairs. Moments later, he's back, a big giddy grin on his face. The four of them head outside, all jumping into Sheila's car. As soon as they arrive at the school, they all grab a box of goodies to carry inside. Having already arrived, Liz holds the door open for them. Not long after, George and Gus's brother Gabe and several other men and women wander in to help set up the Santa station. Several of men are carrying pine trees. After getting them up, George motions for Damon to follow him, the two of them lift the big chair placing it where Gus directs. Once it's in place, the men rearrange the pine trees to surround it. Next Matt shows up with his camera, setting it up so he can take the kids pictures.

With Matt busy, Damon follows George and Gabe, the three of them bringing in the fake sled and the large empty boxes that are wrapped up to look like presents. Looking around, he gives Elena a genuine smile when their eyes meet. The men finish the Santa area just in time. The next thing they know the children and their parents are pouring in. Since Santa won't come out till later, Damon can watch the program with his wife. When he sees her talking excitedly to the little boy, Damon figures it must be her new friend Johnny. Stepping next to her, Damon introduces himself.

"You must be Johnny. My wife has told me so much about you. I'm Damon."

"Hi Damon." Suddenly a little shy, the little fellow latches onto his mom's leg, ducking behind her. Chuckling, Damon squats down and offers his hand for the little guy to shake. Tentatively he reaches out, taking it. It's very nice to meet you Johnny."

"You too," he says, only now stepping out from behind his mom. Damon starts to open his mouth when Bonnie's voice comes over the microphone, instructing the children to take their places so they can begin. Looking around, Bonnie suddenly has a perplexed look on her face. Their piano player didn't show up. Usually Gus's wife Gracie plays for them. Knowing that Gracie would never not call, Sheila runs onto the stage and whispers in her ear that Gracie is sick too. Whatever Sheila is cooking up has Bonnie readily agreeing.

Running off the stage, she comes straight to Elena, taking her by the hand and pulling her along. Unable to say no, Elena takes her place at the piano and starts playing the first of many songs when Bonnie gives her the go ahead. Taking a seat beside Sheila the two of them watch as the children sing Frosty and Rudolph and many other Christmas songs. Since it's a small town, all of the grades sing together. Damon pulls his phone out of his pocket and moves closer to the stage so he can film Elena playing the piano. When Bonnie nods to Sheila, she gets up and takes her place beside Damon, whispering that it's time. Quickly the two of them leave so Damon can put on the costume. Once it's on, she helps him stuff pillows inside to fatten him up. "Since Gus is a bit rotund, he doesn't need stuffing," Sheila tells him, laughing.

Moments later Bonnie's voice announces the final song so he and Sheila go back upstairs, standing in the doorway. Once the song is done, he'll quickly take his seat in the chair. The treat bags are set up on a couple of tables so after they say hello to Santa, they'll each be given a bag. Suddenly, Damon hears Elena's voice. Looking up, he sees her at the microphone, Bonnie at the piano.

 _Christmas is the time to say I love you. Share the joys of laughter and good cheer. Christmas is the time to say I love you, and a feeling that will last all through the year._

Elena looks around for Damon and when their eyes meet, she repeats, _Christmas is the time to say I love you,_ ending the song. Wild applause erupts, Damon claps just as vigorously as the rest of the crowd. Feeling a nudge, he hurries over to his seat, waiting for the kids to get in line to say hello. The room is abuzz with laughter and good cheer. Some of the other ladies in the town surprise the adults with cookies and punch to thank everyone who pitched into put this year's program together. One by one the kids sit on Damon's lap. He listens attentively as each child tells Santa what they want for Christmas. When Johnny hops on his lap, he tells Damon that he wants a Tonka truck, a Batman costume and some Legos. Damon can't help but give Elena a wink when he notices her filming the encounter.

After the last child finishes with him, the auditorium begins to empty out. There are only a handful of treat bags remaining. Damon picks one up, unwraps it and pops a piece of chocolate in his mouth. As soon as the coast is clear of children, Damon takes off the costume, folds it up and puts it back in its box for next year. Even though everyone is tired, he and Elena help put everything away. Exhausted by the time they're done, all four crawl into Sheila's car for the drive home. Too tired for anything else tonight, Damon and Elena say goodnight and trudge up the stairs and into their room. As soon as the door is closed, Damon rushes towards her. Placing a hand on either side of her face, Damon takes her mouth in a languid kiss. Her lower belly begins to heat up, burning hot with desire. Falling onto the bed, Damon on top of her, pressing her into the mattress. With their bodies flush, Damon drops his mouth to her neck and to that spot behind her ear, sending her libido skyrocketing. But knowing that they need to have a heart to heart and too tired for that now, Elena whispers his name to get his attention.

"As much as I want to make love to you, Damon. We need to talk first and get our priorities in order. We're both too exhausted to do that tonight. Surprisingly he agrees, dropping another kiss to her lips before rolling off of her. "Can we at least share a hot bath? Standing up, Damon offers her his hand, leading her into the bathroom. Damon grabs the cinnamon roll bath gel, Elena's favorite, pouring a good sized dollop under the now running water. After undressing each other, Damon gets in first, Elena then steps in, situating herself in the cradle between his legs. Damon whispers that he wants their marriage to work. Elena agrees. Taking turns washing each other, they lay back and close their eyes. When the water starts to cool, Damon has to awaken her so they can go to bed. He drops her night gown over her head, lovingly lifting her arms to slide through arm holes. Once she's done, he slips into his own.

"I think that I forgot to mention that Sheila invited us to stay for Christmas. I want to, Elena, but I told her that I would have to ask you."

"I love you so much, Damon. And I'd love to spend Christmas here with you in this truly magical place."

"I love you too, Elena, more than I ever thought was humanly possible. I never stopped." Slowly he closes the distance between them. When their mouths meet, Damon gently cradles her cheeks, tilting her face so he can deepen the kiss. Feeling the heat begin to coil low in his belly, Damon throws everything he has into it. Her lips are moist a luscious. Feeling his hands skimming the waistline of her skirt, fire begins pulsating through her with each beat of her heart. Unable to get enough, he uses his tongue to part her lips to join with hers. When she feels his hands splay against her back, his fingertips pushing under her waistband to cup the curve of her ass, her knees weaken.

"What was that?" she asks, a stunned look on her face. Using her fingertips, she wispily touches her mouth, completely awed by the magnitude of his kiss. Although a shiver of lust rockets through both of them, they push it aside for now. Taking her hand, Damon leads her to the bed, pulling back the covers for her. After tucking her in, he crawls onto his side of the bed. With fatigue weighing heavily, Elena snuggles in against his chest. With so much weight already lifted from their shoulders, it takes only moments for them to fall asleep, wrapped in each others arms.

Waking up the next morning, Elena slowly opens her eyes. Looking around, she can see that it's still dark outside. Feeling Damon's warm body next to her, an unforced smile forms on her face. "What's that face?" Damon asks, startling her because she didn't realize that he was awake.

"I'm happy, Damon. For the first time in a very long time, it feels like maybe we can fix this," Elena admits, using her index finger to motion from her to him.

"I'm happy too, Elena. I'm so sorry for my part in this. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have opened the Laughlin location. It was after that when things started to fall apart. Between me being In Laughlin and you being gone on your book tour, we neglected each other, letting our careers take priority over our marriage. "God, Elena, do you have any idea how it felt to find out about England? You told your folks, Elena, and not me. That was a body blow."

"I know, Damon. It was very wrong for me not to say anything," she adds, dropping her chin to her chest for a few moments. "I honestly don't know what I was thinking. Kol urged me to tell you but when I saw you happy and joking with Andie, it hurt. I hadn't seen you like that in a long time.. I guess I just didn't think you'd miss me."

"Sweetheart, nothing could be further from the truth. Everyday that we were apart was torture. But listen to me, if we're going to do this, we both have to give it our all. I love you so much, Elena. I don't want a divorce," Damon stresses emphatically, his eyes brimming with sincerity.

"I know, Damon. I don't want to divorce either. I swear, I only talked to an attorney. It just seemed like we'd reached the end of the road but I swear that I never stopped loving you. I'm going to call my publisher and tell her that if I can't skype my participation in England then the deal is off. I'm not going to leave you again."

"I swear on my life that I've never cheated on you. I wouldn't do that. Yes, I'm a flirty son of a bitch but it kind of comes with the job. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I never slept with her or anyone else again. I know that you were worried about that."

"Damon, I know that you didn't cheat on me," Elena says, raising her palm to cup his cheek. Damon places his hand atop hers, pulling the pad of her thumb to his lips. When she sees an uneasy look wash over his face, she asks him what's wrong.

"Promise that you won't laugh at me." When she shakes her head yes, he continues. "I know this is absolute madness but what if we moved to a town like this one? I could let Brady run the Vegas branch and offer Kol the job of running the Laughlin branch if he'd be willing to move there. You can write from anywhere. When Sheila showed me around town, she pointed out a piece of property adjacent to this place. We could build a house, Elena. I saw an empty building downtown with a for sale sign on it. What if I was to open up a small bar here? The ladies told me that there isn't much entertainment in town for the children. Of course I haven't looked in the building but if it's big enough, maybe we could add a second room with its own entrance, an arcade or bowling alley or something for the kids? Sheila also told me that they're trying to raise money to build a swimming pool here in town. I'd like to donate some money to the fund if it's okay with you."

"Of course, Damon. Between the bars and my books, we have the means to do this. Do you really think you'd be happy in a small town though?"

"You're my home, Elena. I'll be happy as long as you're with me. And I know we haven't talked about children given our problems but wouldn't you rather raise them here?"

Nodding excitedly, she grasps onto Damon's face, pulling his mouth to hers in a heated kiss. Their soft lips slide against each other, molding seamlessly. While their mouths are engaged, Damon pulls her on top of him. Already feeling the flames of desire burn through her veins, Elena breaks the kiss, sitting upright long enough to pull her nightgown over her head. Unable to contain himself because it's been months since he made love to his wife, Damon places his hands on her breasts, squeezing and kneading, finally latching onto her nipple, his tongue lapping and suckling. A needy moan escapes as she leans back, forcing more of her breast into his willing mouth. With one hand tugging at her nipple, Damon nips at the other with his teeth. His cock is straining against the fabric of his pajamas so he rolls her to the side, then raises his hips to shimmy them down his legs. After kicking them off, Damon attacks her willing body. Reaching down to cup her mound, Damon slides a finger inside her pliant center, growling at how hot and wet she is already. Taking her lips again, Damon thrusts his tongue in, tangling it with hers.

With his lips engaged, Damon takes himself in hand, rubbing the tip along her velvety folds, teasing her entrance. Gasping aloud at the lightening like sensation erupting all over her skin, she's already sopping wet and ready for him. "Damon," she whimpers, her nails biting into the flesh of his biceps. On his knees, Damon presses kiss starting at her swan like neck, down the slope of her breast, pausing when he reaches her middle. When his pink tongue pokes out, he runs the tip along the rim of her belly button.

"Yes, so good," she mumbles, her whole body alight with desire. Damon continues in a southerly direction until he reaches the apex of her thighs. With his mouth hot and wet, he works his way down one leg and up the other. When he finally settles between her legs, his warm breath blowing on her folds, Elena cries out, "Damon, please."

"As you wish," he whispers, their eyes joining for moment before he sets himself to the task at hand. Damon presses a hand on either side of her belly to anchor her. When his warm breath grazes her center a split second before his tongue dips in, taking a languorous swipe to folds, she nearly flies off of the mattress. Holding her steady, he laps at her heated flesh, her hips bucking up to meet his mouth with each swipe he takes. His days old growth of stubble alone is doing wickedly wonderful things to her already skyrocketing desire. As Damon continues to work her lady parts, Elena's head thrashes from side to side rendered mute by the things this man can do with his tongue. Taking her to the edge within minutes, she bucks wildly against his face. Helpless to his onslaught, Elena curls a hand into his soft, dark locks, holding on tightly when Damon slides a finger inside, moving it in and out, harder and faster. With his mouth attached to her clit, Damon suckles and nips with the intensity of working for his mother's milk. A surge of bright light and intense heat shoots up Elena spine. Gasping aloud at his exquisite brand of torture, Elena snaps her eyes shut at the same time her body begins to tremble and quake.

"Oh dear Lord, Damon," Elena screams as her orgasm rips through her body. It hits her like a runaway locomotive, slamming into her with enough force to propel her across space and time and everything in between. Elena tightens her thighs, refusing to release Damon as she rides out the most mind blowing, incendiary orgasm of her entire life. Exhausted from the intensity of it, Elena wilts like a wet noodle, her bosom still heaving from exertion. Damon reaches up, pushing a dampened strand of hair behind her ear. Capturing her lips again, Damon deepens the kiss, pushing his tongue inside of her mouth. Taking control, their lips dance and tangle together in an addicting rhythm.

Damon's kiss is so powerful that the fire burning in her belly stokes the flames enough to make her toes curl.

When she nods, Damon pushes himself into her beautiful body, a guttural groan leaving his lips. "Fuck," he hisses at the feeling of being enveloped by her hot wet heat. Still so tight, it feels like her walls are a vise grip squeezing him for all she's worth. Since it's been so long, Elena feels a twinge of pain when her body deliciously stretches, taking him all the way in. Having never had a lover like Damon, Elena is in awe of his prowess each and every time they've connected like this. Wanting Elena on top, Damon hangs on tight and flips them. Smirking, Elena places her hands on the tight muscles of his chest while he grips onto her hips. At first their pace is slow and rhythmic, both savoring the sensations.

"I wish I could spend forever like this, just you and me," Damon moans, nearly hypnotized by the sight of his dick moving in and out of her. Damon squeezes her hips even tighter, pulling her down even harder onto his length.

"You feel so good," Elena breathes, her breasts bouncing above him. Needing to release, Damon starts to thrust upward matching each down thrust of hers. Chasing another release herself and already tiring, Elena starts to ride him even faster. Letting go of one of her hips, Damon starts to tease her clit. He knows he's hit paydirt when her breaths start to sound ragged.

"Please, Damon," Elena whines, the coil in her belly starting to burn and tighten. With his eyes glued to hers, Damon urges fervently, "Come, Elena. Come on, come baby." Feeling his own release nearing, Damon flips them again. With his hips snapping against her skin, Damon aims for that special spot inside of her. Moments later, after one final well aimed thrust, Damon feels the tremors begin to wrack her body, her walls pulsing rhythmically around his cock. Damon is in awe because he can literally feel the force of her orgasm against his length, milking him dry. Needing his own release, Damon slams inside of her once more, immediately falling into the abyss with her, the force of his own orgasm literally knocking the wind out of him. Feeling his heart jackhammer against his chest, Damon struggles to suck in a breath when he drops, slamming into the earth at breakneck speed.

"God that has to be bad for the heart," Damon mumbles incoherently.

"It's called little death for a reason," Elena adds, her own voice breathy.

When she can see straight, she presses several kisses to his chest. "I love you, Damon," Elena whispers, her eyes dropping closed from fatigue. Worn out himself, Damon repeats the heartfelt words, the love he feels for her bursting through his body. After dropping a kiss to her hair, Damon closes his eyes, falling back to sleep to the sound of snow hitting the sliding glass doors.

* * *

When Damon feels himself start to become coherent, he rolls over, burying his face in the pillow. Not wanting to open his eyes yet, Damon finally succumbs to the need to pee. Although groggy yet and stuck in the place between dreams and daylight, he finally sits up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Glancing at the clock, his eyes widen when he sees that it's already ten o'clock. Looking over his shoulder, he deflates when he sees that she isn't here. Just as he starts to stand, his head swings to his left when he hears the door creek. Stepping inside with a big smile on her face, Elena leaps at him, knocking him onto the bed with her on top of him.

"Well, good morning to you too," he laughs, stealing a kiss from her lips. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Yep," Elena replies, popping the P.

"I guess I need to get a move on then."

"Sheila is going into town to get a few last minutes things for the turkey dinner. She wants us to go into the woods behind her house and pick a Christmas tree for the main parlor. Bonnie said that every year they put the artificial ones up in the guest rooms and the game room. Bonnie mentioned that her grams likes to have a real one for their family Christmas festivities and that decorating the tree is one of their Christmas Eve traditions."

"And a good one it is. I'll get dressed and meet you downstairs." When Elena starts to move, he wraps her in his arms and presses their lips together in an ardent kiss. Gasping when he lets go, Elena smiles widely and it's only then that he lets her go.

"Now get dressed, Damon."

Standing up, Damon wiggles his still naked backside at her before disappearing into the bathroom. Rolling her eyes, she makes the bed before going back downstairs for another cup of coffee.

* * *

Brushing off shaving yet again, Damon dresses quickly. Trotting down the stairs to the kitchen, Bonnie and Elena are already wearing their parkas.

"It took you long enough," Elena mumbles, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Can I at least have a cup of coffee?"

"If you must," Bonnie adds, taking a seat at the table. Damon grabs a mug out of the cupboard. Pouring himself a cup, he sets it down. When he starts to sit, Elena hands him a sweet roll and a fork. Savoring the taste of the thick and gooey caramel, Damon polishes off the roll and his cup of coffee in short order. After washing his hands, he slips on Willie's parka, hat and mittens. Right now the snow is coming down gently but Bonnie tells them that they're under another winter storm warning. Bonnie hands him a saw and then the three of them trudge around the house and into the woods. They walk maybe a mile in when Elena sees the perfect tree. It's beautiful shaped and is about seven foot tall. "This is it. I never did this before. It's so much fun," Elena squeals.

"I agree, that's the one," Bonnie agrees.

"Okay ladies." Using the saw, he painstakingly cuts it down. Damon drags the tree with Bonnie and Elena walking on either side of him. As soon as they get back to the house, Sheila is waiting for them with some of her special hot chocolate. Finding the stand, Damon adjusts the tree repeatedly till the ladies agree that it's just right. After which, Bonnie and Elena bring boxes of ornaments into the room. Together the four of them decorate the parlor tree. The fireplace is lit making for a cozy afternoon and evening. Deciding to let Elena and Bonnie finish the Christmas tree, Damon helps Sheila get everything ready for tomorrow's Christmas dinner. She makes homemade pies and candy while Damon makes his delicious stuffing and homemade bread. Once they finish, Bonnie pulls out a two thousand piece puzzle of The Last Supper. Never one to turn down a jigsaw puzzle, the four of them dive in, enjoying each other's company. When Damon hears the wind kick up, he looks outside, the snow is really whipping around now. "If this keeps up, we'll be stuck here a few more days, Sheila."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want."

"About that piece of property you showed me, who's the owner? It's a big decision but both of us have decided that we'd kind of like to live here."

"Oh my gosh, this is fabulous news," Bonnie yelps, jumping up to pull Elena first and then Damon into a hug. He does not miss the knowing smile that Sheila flashes at Bonnie.

"The owner is me, Damon. I would gladly sell you that parcel of land if you want to build."

"Really, you would do that for us?"

"Of course. I've grown very fond of you two."

"Same," Damon adds, wrapping Sheila in a hug. "We'll have to go home to make moving arrangements and everything. We'll need to meet with a builder about a home. They won't be able to break ground till spring. Do you know anything about that empty building downtown?"

"Yes, Damon. Gus and his brother Gabe own it. They inherited it from their dad when he died. Back when the town was still bustling, it was an implement dealership. But what did you have in mind?"

"A little pub and maybe a place for the kids to hang out."

"I'll go with you to talk to Gus after Christmas. But right now it's time to watch 'It's a Wonderful Life'."

"It's also a holiday tradition," Bonnie chimes in, pulling the DVD out of the rack. Sliding it into the player, she grabs the remote and takes a seat, snuggling in next to her grams. Dropping onto the love seat beside, Elena, Damon picks up the fleecy throw. After wrapping his arms around Elena, he covers their legs. When Damon presses a kiss to her forehead, she looks up at him with a beaming smile before turning her eyes to the TV. Not long after the movie starts, Elena can hear his soft snores. Wispily brushing a few strands of hair off of his forehead, Elena smiles at how precious he looks when he's completely relaxed. Rather than wake him, she settles in to watch the rest of the movie with Bonnie and Sheila. For the first time in a very long time, she feels happy, knowing that she and Damon are somehow going to make things work.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!" Bonnie and Sheila greet Damon and Elena when they walk it the kitchen that morning. Sheila has freshly made cinnamon rolls and a fresh pot of coffee ready. Just as Damon and Elena take a seat, Matt trudges in carrying a bundle of wood for the fireplace.

"Merry Christmas," Matt greets them, setting the bundle down. After taking off his coat, he takes the seat next to Bonnie, dropping a quick kiss to her lips. When Damon gives her hand a squeeze under the table, Elena looks at him. His whole demeanor has changed. It's almost as if the weight of the world has been lifted and he looks truly happy. She hasn't seen him looking so light and refreshed since their honeymoon.

 _"Here you go," Damon says, handing her a Mai Tai in a coconut mug. Taking a sip, she marvels at how good it is. Damon plops onto the sand beside her once he straightens out his beach towel. Picking up his own, he takes a sip, licking his lips because it is tasty._

 _"You like these fruity drinks don't you?"_

 _"I do indeed," Elena agrees, settling back on the beach chair. Her floppy hat blowing with the light breeze. After much discussion, they decided on a Hawaiian honeymoon. They're in Kauai at Tunnels beach. It's said to be one of the best snorkel spots on Kauai when the ocean is calm. The beach is long and surrounded by beautiful scenery, adding to the magic of the place. "We should go scuba diving tomorrow and we also need to get some souvenirs for Caroline, Kol and Brady."_

 _"We do. We also have the luau tonight. When it's done, we're going to go for a romantic walk on the beach. And then, my love, I'm going to throw you over my shoulder, carry you back to our room and proceed to ravage you," Damon tells her with a sultry waggle of his eyebrows. Feeling a shiver of lust surge, landing right in her core, Elena crosses her legs then leans over till their mouths are nearly touching. "Give it your best shot," Elena whispers. In the next millisecond, Damon seizes her lips in a mind-altering, knee weakening, kiss full of need and want and the promise of forever._

Elena's reverie is broken when she hears Sheila's voice and the clapping of hands. "Everyone to the parlor, it's time to open presents." Motioning with her hands, Sheila signals for everyone to heed her words. "But Sheila, shouldn't this be private? Elena and I haven't been able to go shopping to get anything for you all."

"Nonsense, it's Christmas. Now come on," she tells them, unwilling to take no for answer. Shrugging his shoulders, Damon takes Elena's hand and follows the woman into the parlor. Bonnie and Matt are sitting on the floor so Damon and Elena sit back down on the love seat. Although this family has come to mean so much to them in the days since they arrived, they both feel a little out of place. Suddenly Damon thinks of something. Leaning into Elena's ear, he whispers conspiratorially and then using the pretense of needing to use the bathroom, Damon hurries up to their room. Pulling his checkbook out, he writes a check to Sheila, writing swim pool fund on the memo line then heads back downstairs to join the group again. Stepping back into the parlor, he sees Elena tearing up.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong. These are happy tears you big oaf," she burbles, reaching for his hand. Lacing their fingers together, Damon sits back down. "Why are you crying then?"

Shoving an envelope into his hand, "Look at this," she says, pressing a kiss to his cheek. When he opens it, Damon mouth drops wide open before a beaming smile forms on his face. "Is this what I think it is?"

"It's the deed to the land. Of course, I'm not giving it to you but I will give you a good deal on the property if you're serious about moving here."

"We're serious alright, aren't we, baby?"

"Absolutely, thank you so much Sheila." Both Damon and Elena get up then each takes a turn giving Sheila a big hug.

"I'm so excited to have you as a neighbor, Elena. You can help out at the school, there's loads for you to do here," Bonnie gushes, embracing Elena and then Damon. Reaching into his pocket, Damon pulls out his check and hands it to their hosts.

"What's this?" Sheila asks, her eyes wide.

"It's a check for the swimming pool fund. And if it's not enough, I'll host a fundraiser at my Vegas bar. We'll have to go back for a little while to see about selling out house and making all the arrangements," Damon adds.

"Thank you so much," she says, finally raising her eyes to meet Damon's. When he gives her a nod, she turns to her granddaughter. "Bonnie, look," Sheila squeals, actually squeals which causes heartfelt laughter to fill the room. The rest of the day is spent doing puzzles and watching holiday movies and grazing on all of the delicious Christmas dinner and desserts. When both Elena and Damon start to yawn, they tell everyone goodnight and then excuse themselves to go upstairs to their bedroom. After sharing a shower where Damon once more takes her to new heights, he dries her off when she steps out. Sliding his boxers on, Damon leaves Elena to comb out her hair. When she walks out, Damon is standing by the sliding glass doors, staring outside. Walking over to him, she wraps her arms around his waist and turns her head to see what he's staring at.

"I love this little town, Elena if only because it brought you back to me. I love you so very much," Damon whispers, dropping a kiss to the crown of her head.

"And I love you, Damon." Standing on her tiptoes, she presses a kiss to his cheek and then buries herself against his beautifully chiseled chest. With his arms encircling her, Damon and Elena watch as the snow flitters down from the heavens, the freshly fallen snow twinkling like diamonds. Damon has no idea how they ended up here but somehow he knows that a little bit of magic played a part.

* * *

 ** _We're NOT done just yet._**

 _Thank you so much, Eva. Love you very, very much._

 _A huge thanks to all of you as well. The reviews really mean so much._

 _Chapter title: 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' by Mariah Carey._

 _'Nothing Left to Fear' is now complete. 'Turn the Page' has a good amount left yet._

 _Another 8000 plus words. I hope you like the long ones. Please remember to click the review button._

 _Be safe and have a wonderful day. And thank you all again for your support. It really means so much._


	5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Approximately eight months after that special Christmas, Elena and Damon had satisfactorily wrapped everything up in Las Vegas. Brady readily agreed to take over the day to day operations of the Las Vegas location for 'The Bourbon Room' while Kol was more than happy to relocate to Laughlin. It's a much smaller place than Las Vegas but it's bustling with people who prefer the lesser crowds. Only the Colorado River separates Arizona from Nevada with Laughlin on the Nevada side and Bullhead City on the Arizona side of it. Kol loves jet skiing and kayaking so the decision to move was an easy one for him.

Despite the sluggish Las Vegas home market, their house sold just weeks after Damon and Elena listed it. Although construction on their log home had begun in earnest, it still had a couple of months till completion. Sheila didn't hesitate to invite them to stay with her till the house was ready to be moved into. Still the couple didn't want to impose on her anymore than they had already done so. But Sheila is nothing if not persistent. With their belongings safely ensconced in Sheila huge garage, Damon and Elena moved in with Bonnie and Sheila. Not long afterwards, Matt popped the question. Since he was living in a small apartment above his drug store, Matt with help from Damon, moved in to the home with Bonnie after their wedding. Elena was her maid of honor while Damon was given the honor of giving the bride away.

Damon and Elena fly back to Las Vegas for a few days every other month to check on the business end of things since he does still own the bar. Since they no longer have their house, they usually either get a hotel room, stay in the office at The Bourbon Room or with Brady.

A couple of Damon's long time employees are training to run the place when Brady would like a day off. Since he and Kol are planning to fly down to spend a few days with them between Christmas and New Years, the bar won't have to be shut down.

"Hi sweetheart," Damon says to his wife. Walking out from behind the bar, he pulls his wife into a heady kiss.

"I like greetings like this," she purrs, giving him another quick peck. When the bar door opens again, Damon looks up, seeing Bonnie and Matt walking in.

"How can I help you all?"

"We came to get some lunch and then we're going to pick up Brady and Kol at the airport. I don't know what time we'll be back though. It'll depend on if their plane isn't delayed."

"Call me if you're going to be late so I don't worry."

"Of course," Elena says, smiling when she happens to notice the men working on the bar's fish tank. "It's finally here." Knowing how much aquariums mean to both himself and Elena, Damon contacted one of his friends who works at the tank business in Las Vegas. The men build acrylic tanks and sell them all over the world. Wanting one for the bar, Damon and Elena chose a rectangular shaped one. It's big and beautiful and will be filled with salt water fish. Damon opened the bar and restaurant not long after they moved to town. The company is also going to deliver one for their home tomorrow but Elena doesn't know that yet. It's to be her Christmas present from Damon this year. Because she loves sharks so much, the tank will be big enough for it to hold a couple of small, well tiny sharks. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve so she'll get her gift early but he knows she'll be as giddy as a school girl nonetheless. Walking over to it, Elena talks to the men that are assembling it. "I can't wait to see what it looks like when you're done," Elena mentions, pressing her palm gently against the acrylic siding.

"It'll be beautiful, Mrs. Salvatore," the man tells her.

"There's no doubt. I'll let you get back to work," she says, walking back to her husband and friends. Once their seated, Damon gives them menus. After finding out that Gabe, Gus's brother, is a cook by profession, Damon hired him. The man makes one mean cheeseburger. When they finish eating, Elena gives Damon a kiss and tells him that she'll be in touch and bring Kol and Brady around before she takes them home. Since the crowd is slim this time of the day, Damon walks them out to the car, opening the door for Elena, he gives her another quick kiss before she slides in. Pushing the door closed, he watches as they drive off, waving back at her when she opens the window to do the same.

* * *

As soon as Damon sees Elena step inside, her arm linked with Kol's, he finishes serving the customers that are seated at the bar before waving his wife, Kol and Brady over. As luck would have it, there are three stools left for them to sit.

"The place looks really great, Damon," Brady mentions looking around. Damon's bar is all clad in everything Christmas for the holiday. He has a tree set up with empty boxes wrapped in bright Christmas paper to give it the holiday feel. Music appropriate for the season is playing softly in the background. Brady doesn't miss how all of the restaurant tables are covered with red and green table cloths and drippy candles. There is even a sprig of mistletoe above the entrance.

"This place is brilliant, Damon," Kol remarks, his eyes following the path of the room. "Elena said that you're thinking of opening a place for kids to hang out? Are there many kids in a town this size?"

"Not like Las Vegas of course, but there are a good number of young people. Nothing is firm yet, it's just an idea so far."

"Thanks to Damon, the swimming pool project came to fruition. Next year will be it's first full summer in operation. It's really nice. I'll take you over there tomorrow," Elena mentions, taking a swallow of the eggnog that Damon gives her.

"You still love that stuff, don't you?" Kol remarks, sticking out his tongue.

"What's wrong with eggnog?"

"Surely you jest, Damon? It's disgusting."

"My friend, Sheila gave me a taste of it with blackberry brandy last Christmas. And let me tell you... maybe you'd like to try it?" Damon asks, raising an eyebrow at him. Kol motions for him to bring it on. Damon fixes one for him and one for Brady and then slides it over, one to each. "Where are Matt and Bonnie?" Damon asks, looking around.

"They went to pick up Sheila. They'll be back soon," Elena tells him, leaning up and over the bar so she can give him a kiss. With their lips barely a millimeter apart, Damon whispers, "Mmm, wait till I get you home, Mrs. Salvatore."

"Do it," she whispers, plopping another kiss to his mouth before sitting back down. Just as she does, Sheila, Matt and Bonnie pass by the window. "Watch this," Damon whispers conspiratorially to his wife. Running out from behind the bar, he stands at the entrance. As soon as Sheila steps inside, Damon grabs her, pressing a friend kiss to her lips. When he sees the amused look on her face, Damon starts to laugh causing Sheila to laugh right along.

"Just what are you up to?" she asks after composing herself. Pointing to the mistletoe hanging above them, Damon waggles his brows at her teasingly. When she raises a skeptical eyebrow at him, Damon puts his hands on her shoulders and asks, "What would you have me do, Sheila? It's tradition."

"Damon Salvatore, what am I to do with you?" Without letting another second pass, the two embrace in a hug. Noticing how Bonnie and Matt are sniggering behind them, Damon takes Sheila's hand, leading her to the bar. "Guys, this is the greatest lady ever. Sheila, this is Brady and this is Kol," Damon says, introducing her to his friends.

"It's nice to meet you boys. Has he always been this full of piss and vinegar?" Brady starts to laugh raucously, nodding his head up and down as he does.

"You have no idea," Kol adds, finishing off his eggnog and brandy mixture.

"I told you it was good."

"Yeah well. He tells me that he has you to thank for the souped up egg nog?" Kol asks, looking at Sheila.

"Indeed. Damon likes my Bailey's hot chocolate too." After Damon hands everyone another drink, he walks around the bar to see if any of his other guests need refills. With company in town, Damon asks Gabe to close the place so he can spend some time with his out of town friends. Since Sheila was tired, Matt and Bonnie left an hour or so ago to take her home. Elena and Damon have made fast friends with the town's folks mainly because Sheila is so loved and respected but also because they did so much to help make last year's Santa celebration a success for the kids. After saying goodnight to Gabe, Damon slips on his jacket, throws and arm over Elena's shoulders then leave the bar, followed by Kol and Brady.

Driving down the lonely road to their home, Elena points out the sights. Pulling into the driveway, Kol and Brady are just stunned at the beauty of the place. There is a wrap around porch and two peaked windows sticking out from the second floor. A large stone chimney arises from the right side of the home.

"This is magnificent," Brady remarks, his mouth hanging open as he steps out of the car. "As soon as it's daylight, I want a closer look at that."

"No worries, Brady. Last year we planted some coral honeysuckle vines. They'll wrap themselves around the columns here," Damon mentions, his palm running along the Cedar planks of wood.

"Of course nothing is growing now, but we bought some big old wooden planters to set out during the summer. We're going to have a hot tub on the back deck to relax in too. Because it's frozen over you can't hear it but there's a stream running not far behind the house. The water is crystal clear," Elena adds.

"Wait till you all see the inside." After Damon unlocks the door, he steps aside so their guests and Elena can go in. Pulling the door closed behind him, Damon hangs his jacket on the hook. Brady and Kol are standing in the middle of the great room, their eyes almost doing a 360 degree panorama of the place. There is a big bank of floor to ceiling windows facing the back of the home, facing the forest.

"What a beautiful Christmas tree," Kol remarks, walking over, he leans in to take a whiff of the pine scent.

"We went out with Bonnie and Matt. Damon chopped down this one and Matt did the honors for the boarding house tree," Elena explains, smiling as she fingers the fresh pine needles.

Looking around, Kol and Brady can't help but marvel at the place. The large cobblestone fireplace is cold so Damon snags Kol to help him bring some logs in. The place has a real outdoorsy theme down to the chandelier. It's composed of three antique appearing lanterns, hung from a beam of wood. They have rustic looking furniture as well. The couch and two love seats are a rustic pattern while the rocking chair is a mahogany colored leather. Sitting atop the wooden center table is a blue speckled pitcher with artificial sunflowers brightening up the room even more. It's splendid. When Elena shows them the kitchen, the pots are hanging from the ceiling above the center island. On one side of the island there is a tree trunk that reaches the ceiling. It's striking. On the other side of the room in front of a floor to ceiling window is a large wooden table and chairs to eat on. "I repeat, your home is magnificent," Brady remarks, simply in awe of the architecture. Sleeping curled up on a couple of pillows in the corner are Elena and Damon's cats. One is calico the other looks Siamese.

"When did you get cats?" Kol asks, looking at Elena curiously.

"Damon loves cats. So we went to the shelter and adopted them. The calico colored one is Josephine and the Siamese looking cat is Scarlett." Elena walks over and stoops down to pet them. "See, Scarlett is a Hemingway cat."

"Hemingway cat?"

"Yes, Hemingway had a thing for polydactyl cats so that's how they got their nickname. Scarlett is a mitten kitten," she adds, pointing at the cat's front paws.

"Who knew?" Brady asks, giving Damon's arm a pat.

"Listen Kol," he starts to say when they're out of Elena's earshot. "The tank people are going to come over tomorrow morning. Bonnie is in on this too, she's taking Elena to do a little shopping. Anyway, I need you to be here when they come to set up the fish tank. It's her Christmas present from me. Do you mind staying here? I though I'd take Brady into the bar with me to open up."

"No, I don't mind, Damon. I love the peace and solitude you have out here. Just wow," Kol exclaims, looking up at the beautiful sky. The moon is full and the stars are twinkling. It is almost Christmas so it's cold but the pristine scenery is something out of Christmas calendar. "I finally understand why you and Elena wanted to live in bumfuck nowhere," Kol laughs, shaking his head. Damon nods, giving his shoulder a squeeze. They each take an armful of wood into the house. Damon immediately gets the fire stoked up, warming the place quickly. There are pictures of Damon and Elena from their honeymoon, their date at the Mandalay Bay and pictures of the two of them, swimming with the sharks.

"You two must be tired," Elena says, yawning herself.

"A bit," Brady admits, both him and Kol shaking their heads. Leading them up the grand staircase, Damon and Elena show them their rooms then disappear to their own room. Exhausted after a long day, they quickly change into their pajamas and crawl into bed, falling asleep while wrapped in each others arms.

* * *

Since Gus is back to playing Santa Claus this year, Damon presses his hand against her lower back, leading her into the gym to attend the program. Elena excuses herself to find Bonnie since she's playing the piano again. Damon, Brady and Kol find a seat on the bleachers.

Stepping back stage, Elena is almost bowled over by little Johnny. He's now a big brother to a little girl named Amanda. The baby is adorable, looking almost exactly like her brother. "How are you tonight, Johnny?" Elena asks, stooping down to talk to him a little bit before the program starts.

"I'm good, Miss Elena. I can't wait to talk to Santa."

"You're not the only one," Elena laughs, giving him a hug.

"Okay kids, everyone take their places," Bonnie yells out. Johnny's mouth falls open, immediately running to join the other children. Elena stands up and takes her place at the piano. After an announcement by Sheila who stepped in to MC the program tonight the curtain opens up to the children singing, "Holly Jolly Christmas."

Damon smiles happily as he helps to hand out the Santa bags to the little kids. Of course, he volunteered to help Sheila and his other lady friends put the Santa gift bags together again this year. He loves everything about this little town from the people to their sense of camaraderie and to the quaintness of the place. When all the treats are handed out and the crowd disperses, Damon, Kol and Brady help the other men clean up the gym. When he feels a hand on his shoulder, Damon turns around, smiling when he sees Sheila.

"Hey," Damon greets her, pulling her in for a hug.

"How much did you have to adjust the suit so it would fit Gus this year?" Damon asks, winking at the older woman.

"What do you mean?" Brady asks, looking curiously at Damon.

"I'll have you know that Damon was last year's Santa."

"Seriously?" Brady yelps, shaking his head back and forth.

"Why is that so funny? Gus was sick. Elena and me didn't want the kids to be disappointed so I took his place."

"And he did a splendid job," Sheila adds, patting Damon on the shoulder. "But listen, Damon. The reason I walked over here is because I think you need to get Elena home. Damon looks to where Sheila is pointing to an obviously exhausted Elena sitting on a chair, sound asleep with her head leaning on her shoulder.

"I think you're right, my friend. Merry Christmas, Sheila," Damon tells her, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek.

"Merry Christmas to you too, son. We'll see you for dinner on Christmas day. Remember to come over early so you can help me cook."

"I won't forget, Sheila. Goodnight now." Damon smiles as he watches her walk away for a moment. "Brady," he says, tossing his car keys at him when he looks up. Using his head, Damon motions to Elena before walking over to her. Stooping down, he leans in so their foreheads are touching and then drops a kiss to her nose. In her sleepiness, she reaches up to rub her nose. Damon can't help but giggle. Pulling back slightly, he moves his mouth to her ear, gently jostling her arm while whispering for her that it's time to go home. Damon watches as she slowly opens her eyes.

"Damon?" she asks, covering her mouth when she yawns widely.

"Let's go home, the program is over." Helping her up, he wraps her in his arms and then the two of them follow Brady and Kol outside. Damon crawls into the backseat with her. By the time they reach their house, Elena is sound asleep again. After telling Brady which one is the house key, he waits till the front door is open before picking her up bridal style and carrying her into the house and up the stairs, gently laying her on the bed once Kol pulls back the covers for him.

"Goodnight, Kol," Damon whispers. As soon as he hears the door click closed, he takes her shoes off and then pulls her up, letting her body rest against him while he takes her dress and bra off. Finally Damon slips her nightgown over her head before laying her back down. Standing up, he covers her with their quilt. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he leaves the room, going back downstairs to catch up with Brady and Kol about their lives and his businesses. Once he rejoins his friends, he offers them a drink, pouring three tumblers of bourbon. After handing one to each of his friends, he motions for them to follow him to the TV room.

"I'm really glad she went to sleep. That way the new aquarium will stay hidden till Christmas Eve," Damon mentions, putting the tumbler to his lips. As soon as he see the aquarium, Damon hurries over to it, admiring the artistry of the fish tank. It's also rectangular shaped but it's like it's part of a dresser. Standing several feet tall the aquarium itself is sitting on a wooden base with a matching wooden topper. The coral inserts that the fish swim into and around are very colorful and very beautiful.

"Elena is going to freak when she sees it," Kol points out, taking a swallow of his bourbon.

"No doubt," Brady adds, staring at the tank too. After the men finish admiring the tank, the go back to have a seat and discuss Damon's businesses. Yawning himself after finishing off his drink, Damon turns out the lights and locks the doors then follows Brady and Kol up the stairs. Saying goodnight, Damon disappears into his and Elena's room. Seeing that she's still dead to the world, Damon quickly slips out of his clothes, letting them lay at the foot of the bed. Crawling under the covers with just his boxers, Damon snuggles under the covers. Although he doesn't want to wake her, Damon wraps an arm around her middle, buries his face in her hair and falls asleep with her sweet scent filling his senses.

* * *

"Morning, sleepy head," Damon whispers into her ear, dropping a kiss to her earlobe before pulling back. Still in the throes of sleep, Elena screws up her face a little before rolling over in bed. Undeterred, Damon leans over her again, this time pressing sloppy kisses to the spot between her neck and her shoulder. When she swats him playfully, Damon pulls back allowing her to roll back over.

"It's Christmas Eve, my love. I have surprise for you."

"But Damon, I like to wait till Christmas day to open our presents."

"I know but this one can't wait. I'm going to go downstairs to start breakfast. Oh and Caroline called last night. And I should warn you. Since I refused to wake you up to take her call, I'm in the doghouse."

"You know better than to cross Caroline," Elena laughs, raising herself up in bed. "I'll call her a little later, they are a couple of hours behind us after all." Yawning widely, she rubs the sleep out of her eyes. Damon closes the distance, joining their mouths together. Panting when they pull apart, Damon whispers, "As much as I want to see you naked and beneath me, the guys are already up."

"I suppose," Elena pouts, finally throwing her legs over the side of the bed. Damon ogles her long svelte legs, sighs heavily and walks over to their bedroom door. Turning around, he gives her a wink, whispering, "tonight," before steeping out and pull the door closed behind him.

When he gets downstairs, Damon walks into the TV room, smiling when he sees the fish swimming around. Damon quickly throws a big sheet over the top and puts a big red ribbon on it before going into the kitchen to start brewing a pot of coffee. Moments later, he turns around when he hears the kitchen door open. Brady and Kol step inside, each wearing a dusting of snow. Brady carries an armful of wood, disappearing to deposit it the sleigh shaped firewood rack. After the two of them take off their coats and hang them on the hook, Damon tells them to have a seat.

"Have you talked to Anastasia at all Brady?"

"Yeah, I called her last night. She said things were really hopping at the bar last night."

"Maybe next year you can bring her along if you come back for Christmas?"

"I'll do that. I actually asked her to come but her folks were giving her grief so she's spending it with them. They're a lot like Elena's parents," Brady adds, taking a sip of coffee as soon as Damon fills his cup.

"I'm sorry about that, buddy." Filling a cup for himself, Damon takes a big swallow and then starts mixing up some pancake batter, making sure to throw in some chopped apples for his wife. Once the first batch of pancakes is on the grill, he starts to make some eggs. While his back is turned, Elena walks, the phone in her hand. When Damon hears her voice, he turns around and smiles.

"Yes, Caroline. I wish you were here too. Yes, I'll call you again tomorrow. Bye now," Elena says into the phone. Sighing dramatically, she sits down beside Kol. "Damon said that she called last night, reaming him out," Kol laughs, taking the pulling back slightly so Damon can set the platter of pancakes on the table.

"I'll say," Damon adds, rubbing his ear in jest. Turning back to the stove, he plates the eggs. After setting it down, Damon sits beside Elena, puts a couple of pancakes on his plate and starts eating along with everyone else.

* * *

As soon as they're done cleaning up their breakfast dishes, Damon tells Elena to close her eyes. Giving his friends a wink, he leads her out of the kitchen, through the family room and into the TV room. As soon as she's standing in front of the aquarium, Damon tells her to open her eyes.

"What's this?"

"I'll show you," Damon gushes, giddy as a schoolboy. With help from Brady, the pull the sheet, revealing the aquarium. "Merry Christmas," the three men scream excitedly. Elena's eyes widen in wonder. Without letting another second pass, she throws her arms around Damon's neck, joining their lips in an ardent kiss. Damon happily kisses along, enjoying the feeling of his mouth sliding against hers in perfect synchronicity. Finally she pulls away, her face is beaming. Stepping over to it, she places both hands against the acrylic side, watching the fishes at they swim by and skitter in and amongst the coral inserts.

"It's truly a work of art, Damon. Thank you so much," she squeals, pressing another quick kiss to his lips. Completely enamored with her gift, Elena can only stare at it. "Listen, I promised Sheila that I'd come over so I could help her get things ready for Christmas dinner. She wants me to make the stuffing again and help her with some bread and pies. I'll be home a little later," Damon tells her. Smiling, she bobs her head up and down, unable to take her eyes from her gift. Shaking his head, Damon leaves the three friends to spend the afternoon catching up.

* * *

It's after sundown by the time Damon gets home. Stepping into the house, he smells the delicious aroma of homemade chicken noodle soup. It started to snow a few hours ago and now their lawn is covered in a blanket of white. The sky is overcast. Even though there's a winter storm warning, Damon and Elena only live about two miles from Sheila's boarding house so no amount of snow will stop them from having Christmas with their new family. After shaking the snow out of his hair and hanging up his coat, Damon kicks his boots off and then goes in search of his wife. Knowing exactly where he'll find her, he walks into the TV room. Finding all three of them engaged in a game of 'Scrabble'. Not one of them raises their eyes but he does hear his wife mumble something about her being glad he's home.

"Who's winning?" Damon asks, plopping onto the floor to join the others.

"Kol, now hush," Elena scolds, concentrating on the word tiles splayed out on the board. After spelling the word, hurdle," Elena finally gives him a quick kiss before turning her attention back to the game.

"I'm hungry, when are we going to eat?"

"You can't be hungry. You and Sheila were cooking yummy stuff all day. I fail to believe that you two wouldn't had a few samples," Elena scoffs, raising a disbelieving brow at him.

"What would you have me do, Elena?" Damon gasps, sounding scandalized.

"Oh stop, you big oaf." Shaking her head, she sighs dramatically when Kol spells a big word, winning the game. Leaving the game out so they can play again after supper, they all go into the kitchen, sit down and eat their fill of chicken soup. The four friends spend the evening playing Sorry, Scrabble and Chinese checkers while listening to Christmas music play through Damon's stereo system. When Elena starts to yawn, her eyes dropping shut longer and longer, Damon insists that they go to bed.

"Kol and I are going to watch some TV if that's okay?"

"Of course, buddy. Our home is your home. Merry Christmas," Damon tells them. Half carrying Elena, the two of them climb up the stairs and into their room. After tucking her in for the second night in a row, Damon feels a fleeting moment of unease, knowing that she's not usually so worn out. Chalking it up to the holiday hustle and bustle, he changes into his pajamas and then crawls into bed beside her. With a big yawn himself, Damon turns the lights out, pulls the covers over his shoulders and closes his eyes, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow.

Waking up in the morning to the feel of her hand stroking him erect, Damon's eyes fly open with a growl. Bucking his hips in tandem with her hand, Damon reaches down to cover her hand, helping her take him over the edge in literally minutes.

"What was that for?" he pants, his body still trembling with aftershocks.

"It's one of your Christmas presents. Here's the other," Elena says softly, handing him a small box. Curious, Damon unties the ribbon, tears the paper off and then opens it up. Setting the box down, he unwraps the tissue paper, finding a newborn-sized disposable diaper. Elena can't help but laugh at the shocked look on his face. It's almost as though he could pick his jaw up off of the floor.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asks, holding it up.

"Yes."

"Are you, are we?" he blurts out, hope filling his eyes.

"I'm sure." Without wasting another second, Damon pounces on her, pressing her body into the mattress as he ravages her face and neck and that spot behind her ears with sloppy open mouth kisses. With a wink, he rips her nightgown from her body.

"I intend to ravage you, Mrs. Salvatore," Damon smirks, waggling his brows at her seductively. Feeling empowered in her nakedness, Elena uses her feet to push his boxers down his legs. When goosebumps breakout on his skin, Elena feels so desirable knowing that she put them there. Although there's no visible bump yet, Damon tenderly presses kisses to her belly, raising his eyes to in a smirk.

"I knocked you up," Damon gloats, the look of pride and accomplishment very evident in his piercing blue eyes. Seconds later, he pulls her in for another mind altering kiss. Impatient and wanting him, Elena pulls him on top of her. The firm muscles of his chest rubbing against her erect nipples stokes the fire that's already burning inside her even hotter. A delicious friction builds with each slide of his muscles against her breasts. It's feels so good that she can already feel how wet and ready she is to receive him. The tingling feeling begins to burn deep inside. Elena feels hot and horny, her breathing increases as her desire amplifies with each millisecond that passes. Kissing his way up her body, Elena's bosom is already heaving with want and desire. Gasping when his fingers enter her, Elena raises her hips to meet each plunge he makes inside of her.

"You are so wet and ready, babe," Damon groans, while working her into a feverish pitch. Using his palm to rub her clit while his fingers work sweet magic with her insides, Elena grabs onto his shoulders, her nails breaking the skin as she hangs on for dear life. Damon knows her body so well. Continuing to stroke her, he makes a pass against her front wall. Not wanting to alert Kol and Brady of their sexy escapades, Elena pulls Damon's pillow over her face. Damon plays her body like a maestro dancing his fingers along the keys of a Steinway. Elena's heart is pounding against her rib cage so heart that her breath is coming in spurts and pants. Pushing the pillow aside, Elena raises up, watching as his fingers disappear into her body.

"Please, Damon," Elena squeals, not caring who hears. Dropping his lips to hers, Damon uses his thumb to massage her clit with a firm hand. The callous on this thumb works sweet magic and seconds later, Elena is flying, completely breathless, falling endlessly in a bliss unlike anything she's ever felt before. Damon continues to stroke her through it as he watches her release wash through her with the intensity of a tidal wave. As soon as she opens her now bleary eyes, Damon crashes his lips to hers, their mouths sliding together.

Needing to be inside of her, Damon takes himself in hand, rubbing the head along her drenched nether lips. Needing him, Elena spreads her legs, giving him room to settle in. Already needy for her husband, she raises her hips, inviting him to enter her. Just as she feels the tip, Damon slides in, joining their bodies.

"Dear God," she gasps, feeling the delicious stretch as each inch of his silky girth pushes inside of her. Her body grips onto him, pulling him even deeper. He feels so mouth wateringly good that Elena wants to stay connected like this forever,

"So damn good," Damon grunts, thrusting faster and harder and deeper with each pass into her body. Reaching up, Elena runs her hands along the sinuous muscles of his arms. They're strong and bulky and perfect to hold onto. When Damon starts pushing impossibly harder, Elena pistons her hips to meet each of his forward thrusts. Cupping the curve of his ass, Elena digs in, pulling him deeper with each stroke of his powerful hips. Pausing a moment, Damon grabs the pillow and helps her to raise her hips. With this angle when he surges back inside of her pliant body, Damon hits that sweet spot of her with each pass he makes with his member. Without warning, Damon flips them. Licking her lips slowly and seductively, Elena anchors her palms firmly against his chest. With her nails scoring his skin, Elena raises and lowers her body in union with the upward piston of his hips. After riding him for sometime, Damon senses that she's tiring. Holding onto her for dear life, Damon repositions them again. Helping her onto her knees, Damon moves behind her. Tired, Elena drops down to her elbows, her head hanging as she grips the sheets to hold on when he slides back inside of her. Leaning over, Damon takes one of her breasts in his hand, tweaking her nipples. When she feels his strokes becoming a little chaotic, Damon rights himself. Placing his hands on her hips for leverage, Damon plunges into her with a punishing rhythm.

Moaning aloud when she feels the coil in her lower belly begin to tighten and burn out of control, Elena rasps, "Please, Damon." Giving her what she needs, he hits that spot again. In the next millisecond, Elena's body shudders and seizes wildly, her second release crashing over her like the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. Feeling his own belly burn with need and desire, Damon thrusts harder, holding her rear flush against his pelvis, yelling her name aloud at the same time she feels him release into her womb. Although Elena wants nothing more than to stay connected to her husband, nature has other designs. When his dick softens, he slides out of her. Rolling onto his back, Damon throws his forearm over his eyes. His whole body is still shuddering like a wild fire consuming a forest of dead trees.

"Good Lord, Elena," he whisper, his voice raspy. Rolling over to face him, Elena lifts his arm around her then snuggles close. Moments later feeling safe and warm and at home in his embrace, her eyes drop closed. The last thing Elena feels is his hand on her belly and his lips on her forehead.

When Damon wakes up sometime later, he picks up his phone to check the time. His eyes widen when he sees it's nine in the morning already. Not wanting to wake his pregnant wife just yet, Damon carefully slips out of bed. Walking over to the window, he sees that there's a good four to six inches of fresh snow has fallen already. The snow is still coming down making for poor visibility. Damon can see the trees that are flocked with snow and completely beautiful. The big pine trees in front of their home are decorated with outdoor Christmas lights. Since it's Christmas, Damon is going to let them burn brightly all day. After pulling a clean pair of jeans and a Henley shirt out of his dresser, he tiptoes out of the room. Trotting down the stairs, he goes to the downstairs bathroom to change. By the time he has a pot of coffee on, Brady comes stumbling into the kitchen, followed by Kol.

"Is Elena up yet?"

"No, I didn't want to wake her yet. Sheila said to be there around noon."

"She seems like a pretty great lady," Brady muses, yawning widely.

"Yes, she is. I care about her a lot. She' been a great friend to me and Elena. I don't know what would've happened to us last year if not for her. I mean, here we were, two strangers and she made us feel so welcome. I'll never be able to thank her."

"That's great, Damon. But there are more important matters, like you know, breakfast?" Kol adds, sarcasm lacing his tone. Laughing, Damon lobs a dish towel hitting him in the head.

"What the...?" Kol starts to say when Elena appears, rubbing her eyes.

"Need some coffee, sweetheart?"

"No. Do we have any orange juice?"

"Yeah, have a seat. Do you want some breakfast?"

"I'm just going to have a piece of fruit. Sheila will have enough food to feed a platoon of soldiers," Elena adds, reaching into the refrigerator to pull out a banana. After Damon fills a glass of juice, he hands it to her then sits down himself with a big cup of coffee. "Should we tell them the news?"

"What news?" Brady asks, looking up from the newspaper.

"I knocked her up," Damon says proudly, his chest nearly bursting the buttons on his shirt.

"Congratulations," both of their friends blurt out, taking turns giving Elena a hug. The four of them visit awhile longer before Elena excuses herself to change clothes. When she gets back downstairs, they sit around the Christmas tree to open their gifts. Elena and Damon got the best gift of all but their friends are excited by their presents as well, each getting a custom made tee shirt with the town's name on it, their favorite colognes and open ended plane tickets for them to come back again. In addition to the fish tank, Damon got Elena some perfume, a gift certificate to her favorite department store and a new fleecy warm, cuddly blanket. For Damon, Elena also got him some cologne, a DVD collection of his favorite old films, and some clothing. Once they're done with the gifts, Damon tells them that they need to get a move on or Sheila will be calling them. Quickly putting on their coats, hats and boots, Damon takes Elena's hand to walk with her so she doesn't slip on the icy ground. As soon as they're all in the car, Damon ignites the engine and drives the couple of miles to Sheila's. Because of the snow pack and low visibility it takes a little bit of time to get there.

Trudging up her sidewalk, Sheila is ready with hot cider for them as soon as they step into her home. Greeting their friends with hugs, they all wish each other Merry Christmas and then spend the rest of the day grazing at the buffet table, playing games, watching movies and singing Christmas carols.

* * *

Spreading out Elena's new fleecy blanket, Damon and Elena lay down in the dark, the aquarium the only light in the room. They're both laying on their sides, Elena's head laying on his outstretched arm. With his free hand splayed across her lower belly, Damon spoons her from behind.

"I love you, Elena," Damon whispers, dropping a kiss to the back of her head.

"I love you too. Thank you for this, Damon. Just think a year ago we were on the cusp of throwing it all away. I don't know what miracle brought us to this little town but I'll forever be grateful.

Images of Sheila flash in his head, suddenly remembering what Gus said the first time he met him about Sheila's witchy reputation. And although he's amiss to understand it, he knows somehow, someway that their dear friend had something to do with helping them find their way back to each other. Leaning up, Damon pulls a couple of throw pillows off of chair that's sitting behind them. Placing one under her head and one under his own, the two of them settle in, enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms. Almost hypnotized by watching the fish flittering around in the tank, it doesn't take long for Damon and Elena to feel their eyes begin to close. Inhaling sharply, Elena sits up. "I have an idea for a new book," she starts to say excitedly. In the space between wake and sleep, the last thing Damon hears before dropping completely is Elena's voice trailing off, "It starts with the couple staring at each other through a fish tank."

THE END

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed my take on the prompt I wrote for last year's A2A Christmas Exchange. Thank you all so much for reading and following along and a big special thanks to all of you who took the extra few moments to review._

 _And Eva, where would I be without you. Somehow thanks don't seem enough. I love you, my sister, my best friend._

 _Chapter title: 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' by Judy Garland from the movie 'Meet Me in St. Louis'. No one sings it like she does!_

 _I only have 'Turn the Page' in progress right now. Please have a look or if you desire to look at my other completed works. My goal is to write a DE that's different from everything else out there. Like shark biologist Damon and Forensic artist Elena etc._

 _"Miles to Home" by my friend, Jaybunzy0 is very good as is a new story, "Love You Like That' by Celadon6. Another brilliant story is 'Arms of the Ocean' written by my friend insightfuldamon._

 _I did post pictures of their log home and aquarium on my scarlett2112 facebook page._

 _Please click that review button one last time._

 _Be safe and have a phenomenal day. Thank you all again. Carol_


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